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What is pre-market and after-hours trading and how do you trade it?
Pre-market and after-hours trading enables you to trade before the market opens and after it closes – giving you the flexibility to respond to price movements outside regular hours. Here’s how it works.
What is pre-market trading?
Pre-market trading enables you to trade a market before the main session opens. For example, most Australian traders can only trade the US stock markets from 1:30am to 8am AEDT* – but with our 24/5¹ offering on around 700 US shares, you can trade well before the opening bell.
This means you can react to overnight news, earnings reports or global events as they happen – not hours later when the market opens.
We also provide weekend trading before the Monday open on selected global indices and the GBP/USD forex pair.
*Note: These times change when daylight savings starts or ends across AU/UK/US time zones.
What is after hours (post-market) trading?
After-hours trading enables you to trade after the main session closes. Most Australian traders can only access US stock markets during standard hours – but with our 24/51 offering on around 700 key US shares, you can trade well after the closing bell.
This is particularly useful if a company reports earnings after hours, or if news breaks that could move the market overnight. You're not stuck waiting until the next day to act.
You’ll also be able to access our weekend trading offering after the Friday close on selected global indices and popular FX pairs like GBP/USD.
* Note, these times do change when daylight savings ends/starts across AU/UK/US timezones.
Learn what moves pre-market and after-hours prices
Pre-market and after hours prices can move quickly based on earnings releases, economic data, central bank decisions or unexpected news.
For example, companies like Apple, Tesla, Netflix and Amazon often report results outside regular trading hours. If you're not set up to trade at these times, you could miss the initial price move – and by the time the market opens, the opportunity might be gone.
Keep in mind that prices can be more volatile outside standard hours, as there's typically less trading activity and liquidity.
Choose a pre-market or after-hours strategy
There are a few ways to approach pre-market and after-hours trading. Here are two common strategies:
Trading breakouts
Breakouts typically follow a period of consolidation – when an asset’s price is relatively static after a strong price move in either direction. Consolidation often precedes an announcement, as traders and investors are waiting to see how they should act.
Breakout traders will look for consolidation in the market, then open positions on the back of relevant news announcement. Their aim is to take full advantage of the resulting price move.
Technical indicators that can help you assess when breakouts could occur include Average True Range and Bollinger Bands.
Hedging gap risk
Gapping is when a stock opens significantly higher or lower than where it closed the day before. If you're holding shares and worried about a gap down, you could take a short CFD position outside regular hours to hedge your exposure.
For example, if you hold Tesla shares and expect bad news overnight, you could short Tesla via CFD during after-hours trading. If the stock falls, your CFD profit could help offset the loss on your shares. If it rises, your shares gain value – offsetting the loss on your short position.
Choose your trading method
Create a trading account with us, and you’ll be able to trade pre-market and after-hours with CFDs. These are financial derivatives, which enable you to speculate on the price of a market rising by going long, or falling by going short. Remember, CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage.
Alternatively, you can open a share trading account2 to invest in US shares after-hours.
We offer 24/51 trading on 700 key US shares.
CFD trading
With CFD trading, you'll make a prediction about the direction of a market's price movements, with your profit or loss determined by the accuracy of your prediction and the size of the market movement. Keep in mind, CFDs are leveraged products – your profits can be amplified, but so can your losses.
CFDs can also be useful for hedging risk.
Share trading
Share trading enables you to invest directly in shares. You’ll profit if you sell after they have risen in value. 2
You’ll also be eligible to receive dividends, and you might get company voting rights.
Select a market
Shares
We offer 700 key US shares 24/5¹ including Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft and Tesla – all via CFDs and share trading
Most AU traders can only trade the US stock markets from 11:30pm to 6am AEST, but with our 24/5¹ offering you can trade for much longer
*Note: These times change when daylight savings ends/starts across AU/UK/US timezones.
Indices
These markets enable you to get exposure to a country’s most popular shares from a single position.
Weekly indices trading hours
| FTSE 100 | Germany 40 | Wall Street | |
| IG | 158 | 158 | 158 |
| City Index | 120 | 120 | 120 |
| CMC Markets | 114 | 113 | 115 |
| eToro | 100 | 102 | 115 |
| Trading 212 | 105 | 105 | 115 |
This data is based on analysis of the FTSE 100, Germany 40 and Wall Street offering from our UK competitors’ websites, and is correct to the best of our ability as of November 2025. Some trading hours have been rounded up or down to the nearest hour. This table is for comparative purposes only, and the data is subject to change.
*Note: These times do change when daylight savings ends/starts across AU/UK/US timezones.
Forex
We offer major, minor and exotic currency pairs from 8am Monday until 9am Saturday (AEDT*). We also offer GBP/USD, EUR/USD and USD/JPY at the weekend.
* Note, these times do change when daylight savings ends/starts across AU/UK/US timezones. Illustration below in UK time:
Options
We offer options trading with extended hours on selected weekly and monthly indices options contracts. Extended trading hours are not applicable for daily options given that they are a propriety product priced by IG with no underlying market to reference.
| Market | Daily (MEL time) | Weekly (MEL time) | Monthly (MEL time) |
| Australia 200 | 5:10pm- 4:00pm* | 24hrs** | 24hrs*** |
| Germany 40 | 2:10am – 1:30am* | 24hrs** | 24hrs*** |
| Wall Street | 6:40am – 6:00am* | 24hrs** | 24hrs*** |
| Gold | 6:00am – 3:30am* | 8:00am-7:00am** | 8:00am-7:00am*** |
| Silver | 6:00am – 3:25am* | 8:00am-7:00am** | 8:00am-7:00am*** |
| Oil | 6:00am – 4:30am* | 8:00am-7:00am** | 8:00am-7:00am*** |
*On Mondays, our Australia 200 daily options open at 10:00am Mel time. Our Germany 40 daily options open at 4:00pm Mel time. Our Wall Street daily options open at 10:15am Mel time. Our Gold/Silver/Oil daily options open at 8:00am. Our Gold/Silver/Oil daily options also have a trading break between 7:00-8:00am daily.
**On Mondays, our Australia 200 weekly options open at 10:00am and trade through to expiry at 4:00pm Thursday. The new weekly contract reopens at 10:00am Friday. Our Germany 40 Weekly options open at 4:00pm Monday through to expiry at 1:30am Saturday. Our Wall St weekly options open at 10:15am Monday through to expiry at 6:00am Saturday. Our Gold/Silver weekly options open at 8:00am Monday through to expiry at 03:30am Saturday. Our Oil options open at 8:00am Monday through to expiry at 4:30am Saturday.
***On Mondays, our Australia 200 monthly options open at 10:00am, Germany 40 Monthly opens open at 4:00pm, Wall St monthly options open at 10:15am. All monthly index options trade through to 6:00am Saturday morning. Monthly commodity options open at 8:00am Monday through to 6:00am Saturday with daily trading break between 7:00am and 8:00am.
Weekend trading hours
You can trade our regular weekday markets with most indices and commodities open from 10am on Monday (8am for forex) until 9am on Saturday morning (AU time). Our weekend market hours are*:
7pm Saturday to 9.40am Monday (AU time) for indices
7pm Saturday to 7:40am Monday (AU time) for forex
7pm Saturday until 9am Saturday (AU time) for cryptocurrencies and Crypto 10 Index
*Our weekend trading hours are based on UK hours, and are converted to AU time zones. This means that the times listed are affected by both UK and AU clock changes in the year, and will be adjusted by +/- 1 hour accordingly.
Understand the risks of pre-market and after-hours trading
Trading outside regular hours comes with some additional risks to be aware of:
Lower liquidity than the main market session: many market participants prefer to trade during the main session – when prices are generally more stable – meaning there can be fewer active participants to fill the other side of trades out-of-hours
Higher volatility than the main market session: lower liquidity can result in more dramatic swings in prices, which can be good or bad – depending on your individual risk appetite
Wider spreads than the main market session: the spread is the difference between the buy and sell price on offer. Spreads can widen when volatility rises or liquidity falls – both of which occur more frequently out-of-hours
You can manage your risk using stops and limits, which automatically close your trade when the price hits a pre-determined level. Guaranteed stops are the best way to cap risk because these always close your trade at the exact level you specify – even if the market moves quickly or ‘gaps’. A small premium is payable if a guaranteed stop is triggered.
Place your trade
To place your first pre-market or after-hours trade, create an account and go to our web trading platform or mobile trading app. Once there, follow the steps below:
- Select your market
- Decide whether to sell or buy
- Choose your position size
- Set your stops and limits
- Place your deal
Alternatively, you can practise using our platform with a demo account. You’ll get $20,000 in virtual funds to build your confidence before trading the live out-of-hours market sessions.
FAQs about pre-market and after-hours trading
What time can I trade US shares with IG?
You can trade around 700 US shares 24/51 – from 11am Monday to 8am Saturday (AEST). During daylight savings, hours shift to 12pm Monday to 9am Saturday (AEDT). This means you can access the market before it opens, throughout the main session and well after it closes.
What's the difference between pre-market, after-hours and 24/5 trading?
Pre-market trading is before the main session opens – typically when overnight news or earnings reports are released. After-hours (or post-market) trading is after the main session closes, which is useful if news breaks late in the day. Our 24/5 trading covers both pre-market and after-hours plus the main session – so you can trade nearly any time from Monday to Friday without being limited to standard market hours.
Can I trade shares or just CFDs outside regular hours?
Both. You can trade US shares through our share trading account2, which means you'll own the underlying share and be eligible for dividends. Or you can trade CFDs, which let you go long or short and trade on leverage. With our 24/51 offering, both options are available outside regular market hours – so you can choose the method that suits your strategy.
What are the risks of trading outside regular hours?
Trading pre-market and after-hours comes with some additional risks compared to the main session. Spreads are typically wider due to lower liquidity, which means it might cost more to enter and exit positions. Prices can also be more volatile, as there are fewer active traders and larger price swings can happen on smaller volumes. It's important to understand these risks and consider using stop-losses to manage your exposure before you trade.
1 Trading hours run from Monday 11am to Saturday 8am (AEST). During daylight savings, hours shift to Monday 12pm to Saturday 9am (AEDT).
2 When investing with us, you’ll do so via our share trading platform using our custodial model. This means that we manage, hold and safeguard securities you choose to buy and sell on your behalf. Via our custodial model, you’ll be able to buy and have a stake in actual assets – for example, shares in an ASX 200-tracking ETF or ASX 200-constituent company. You’ll also be entitled to dividends if any are paid, and granted voting rights if applicable.
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Disclaimers
- CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. You do not own or have any interest in the underlying asset. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. Please consider the Margin Trading Product Disclosure Statement (PDS), Risk Disclosure Notice and Target Market Determination before entering into any CFD transaction with us.
- The value of shares, ETFs and ETCs bought through an IG share trading account can fall as well as rise, which could mean getting back less than you originally put in. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
- Please ensure you fully understand the risks and take care to manage your exposure.
- The information on this website is prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs. Consequently, you should consider the information in light of your objectives, financial situation and needs.
- This website is operated by IG Australia Pty Ltd. IG Australia Pty Ltd is located on Level 32, Queen & Collins, 376-390 Collins Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000. ABN 93 096 585 410, Australian Financial Services Licence No. 515106. Derivatives Issuer Licence in New Zealand FSP No. 684191, NZBN 9429047618251.