NASDAQ opening and closing times: when can you trade?

What are the trading hours of the NASDAQ?

Want to trade the NASDAQ? The US index is a popular trade because investors get exposure to stocks in 100 major tech businesses, such as Tesla, Microsoft and NVIDIA.

There are many ways to trade the index, from buying an exchange-traded fund to trading CFDs on its movements.

The NASDAQ, sometimes also called the US Tech 100, is open for six and a half hours a day. The index opens at 9.30am Eastern Standard Time (EST) – 4.30pm South Africa time, and closes at 4pm EST – that's 11pm South Africa time.¹

When it's Daylight Savings Time in the US, it's open from 3.30 to 10pm South Africa time.

However, you can trade the NASDAQ with us 24 hours a day, Monday to Thursday. We provide CFD pricing on the exchange, even when the NASDAQ is officially closed. These trading opportunities are listed on our platform under the code 'US Tech 100'.

NASDAQ trading hours at a glance

NASDAQ NY opening hours UK opening hours IG out-of-hours trading
9.30am to 4pm Monday to Friday 2.30pm to 9pm Monday to Friday 9am to 1am Monday to Thursday
9am to 10pm Friday

US holidays

The index is closed for trading during the various US holidays. These include President's Day, Martin Luther King Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

However, with us, investors can continue to benefit from out-of-hours trading services.²

Pre- and post-market hours of the NASDAQ

With us, investors can trade the NASDAQ out of hours during the week and also at the weekend.³ This enables them to react more quickly to major economic announcements, such as GDP growth figures, non-farm payroll data or breaking news on certain tech stocks.

We offer CFDs (contracts for difference) on All Session US shares from 11am to 3am, Monday to Thursday, and 11am to midnight on Friday (GMT). Clients can take a position on over 70 key US stocks over these extended hours. Note that hours shift back by one hour in Daylight Savings Time in the US.

The NASDAQ offers pre- and post-market hours on stocks. However, as mentioned before, we offer extended hours on the NASDAQ index through CFDs, which means you can trade more or less 24/7.

When is the best time to trade the NASDAQ?

So what is the best time of day to trade on the index? Analysts say there is no specific period of time that is better than others, but there are certain times to avoid, especially if you are new to trading the NASDAQ.

'There is no "best" time to trade the NASDAQ, but many Europeans like to trade just after it opens at 9.30am local time since the first hour can be volatile', explains our Senior Financial Analyst, Axel Rudolph.

'The open is often volatile as it can coincide with US data releases such as non-farm payrolls, CPI (consumer price index figures) et cetera', he says. 'Less experienced traders may want to stand aside around those potentially highly volatile periods and, instead, trade once an intraday trend has been established.'

Learn how to trade the NASDAQ and how to trade individual indices.

How to take a position on the NASDAQ

1. Learn more about the NASDAQ

Do your own research to find out more about the NASDAQ, its trends and different ways of trading the index, and whether these represent the right kind of investment for you. Follow industry news and economic data to decide when to make a trade.

2. Open an account or practise on a demo

Open an account with us or practise trading the index on our demo account.

3. Select your opportunity

Decide how and when you plan to trade the NASDAQ and which asset you wish to use through CFDs. You can also sign up for our trading alerts to help you find trading opportunities.

Find out more about CFD trading with us.

4. Choose your position size and manage your risk

Decide how much you wish to trade using CFD and the time period. It's a good idea to think about your risk profile and whether the investment is right for you. If necessary, you can introduce stop-losses – calculate how much you can afford to lose, then use our risk management tools to help you set up stop-losses where you need them.

5. Place your deal and monitor your trade

You can trade or take a position on the NASDAQ using CFDs on the index. Alternatively, you can buy shares in NASDAQ-listed technology companies such as Apple, Alphabet or NVIDIA through our share-dealing platform.

You can also trade exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that track the index price. ETFs can be a less risky option compared to other ways of trading. These funds are designed to imitate the movements of the exchange, and they can also be a low-cost way of trading and gaining exposure to US technology firms. Some ETFs that track the NASDAQ include the Invesco QQQ Trust, the iShares NASDAQ 100 UCITS ETF and the Vanguard Growth ETF.

Find out more about how we can get you started trading the NASDAQ with our CFD platform.

_{₁Stock Market Trading Hours for Nasdaq | Nasdaq
₂US Stock Markets’ Opening Times [UK Hours] | IG UK
₃Stock Market Trading Hours: What Time Is the Stock Market Open Today? | Nasdaq}

US holidays

The index is closed for trading during the various US holidays. These include President's Day, Martin Luther King Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

However, with us, investors can continue to benefit from out-of-hours trading services.²

Pre- and post-market hours of the NASDAQ

With us, investors can trade the NASDAQ out of hours during the week and also at the weekend.³ This enables them to react more quickly to major economic announcements, such as GDP growth figures, non-farm payroll data or breaking news on certain tech stocks.

Share dealing on All Session US shares is also offered 12pm to 10.30pm, Monday to Thursday, and 12pm to 10pm, Friday (GMT). Clients can take a position on over 70 key US stocks over these extended hours. We offer CFDs (contracts for difference) and spread bets on All Session US shares from 9am to 1am, Monday to Thursday, and 9am to 10pm on Friday (GMT).

The NASDAQ offers pre- and post-market hours on stocks. However, as mentioned before, we offer extended hours on the NASDAQ index through spread betting and CFDs, which means you can trade more or less 24/7.

When is the best time to trade the NASDAQ?

So what is the best time of day to trade on the index? Analysts say there is no specific period of time that is better than others, but there are certain times to avoid, especially if you are new to trading the NASDAQ.

'There is no "best" time to trade the NASDAQ, but many Europeans like to trade just after it opens at 13.30 GMT since the first hour can be volatile', explains our Senior Financial Analyst, Axel Rudolph.

'The open is often volatile as it can coincide with US data releases such as non-farm payrolls, CPI (consumer price index figures) et cetera', he says. 'Less experienced traders may want to stand aside around those potentially highly volatile periods and, instead, trade once an intraday trend has been established.'

Learn how to trade or invest in the NASDAQ and how to trade individual indices.

How to take a position on the NASDAQ

1. Learn more about the NASDAQ

Do your own research to find out more about the NASDAQ, its trends and different ways of trading the index, and whether these represent the right kind of investment for you. Follow industry news and economic data to decide when to make a trade.

2. Open an account or practise on a demo

Open an account with us or practise trading the index on our demo account.

3. Select your opportunity

Decide how and when you plan to trade the NASDAQ and which asset you wish to use – whether CFDs, spread betting or share dealing. You can also sign up for our trading alerts to help you find trading opportunities.

Find out more about spread betting and CFD trading with us.

4. Choose your position size and manage your risk

Decide how much you wish to invest and for how long. It's a good idea to think about your risk profile and whether the investment is right for you. If necessary, you can introduce stop-losses – calculate how much you can afford to lose, then use our risk management tools to help you set up stop-losses where you need them.

5. Place your deal and monitor your trade

You can trade or take a position on the NASDAQ using spread bets or CFDs on the index. Alternatively, you can buy shares in NASDAQ-listed technology companies such as Apple, Alphabet or NVIDIA through our share-dealing platform.

You can also invest in exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that track the index price. ETFs can be a less risky option compared to other ways of trading. These funds are designed to imitate the movements of the exchange, and they can also be a low-cost way of investing and gaining exposure to US technology firms. Some ETFs that track the NASDAQ include the Invesco QQQ Trust, the iShares NASDAQ 100 UCITS ETF and the Vanguard Growth ETF.

Find out more about how we can get you started investing in the NASDAQ and learn about share dealing with us.

_{₁Stock Market Trading Hours for Nasdaq | Nasdaq
₂US Stock Markets’ Opening Times [UK Hours] | IG UK
₃Stock Market Trading Hours: What Time Is the Stock Market Open Today? | Nasdaq}