Best Time of Day to Day Trade Stocks (Eastern Time)

Volume and volatility aren't spread evenly through the trading day. Most day traders focus on the first hour after the open, when moves are biggest, and many avoid the quieter middle of the day. Here's what each part of the day is usually like. All times are Eastern Time (ET); see market hours and holidays.

Pre-market: 4:00 AM – 9:30 AM

Stocks with overnight news start moving. Volume is thin, so spreads are wide and prices can jump on small orders. This is when traders build a watchlist of gappers. See pre-market gaps.

The open: 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM

Usually the busiest and most volatile hour of the day. Orders that built up overnight hit the market, and momentum stocks often make their biggest moves here, in both directions. Volatility pauses are more common, and price bands are wider near the open.

Late morning: 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM

Volume starts to fall. Strong stocks can trend; weak gappers often fade back toward VWAP or yesterday's close.

Midday: 11:30 AM – 2:00 PM

Often the quietest part of the day. Lower volume can mean choppy, range-bound prices, which is why many day traders trade less or not at all at lunch.

Power hour: 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Volume picks up again into the close as funds and traders adjust positions. Trends can extend or reverse quickly.

After hours: 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Earnings and news released after the close move stocks on thin volume, much like pre-market. Many brokers allow trading until 8:00 PM ET.

Using relative volume to tell busy from quiet

Because volume normally follows this pattern, comparing a stock's volume with yesterday's full day is misleading early in the morning. Nexus Screener's relative volume is time-adjusted: it compares today's volume with what's normal for the same time of day, so an unusually busy stock stands out at any hour.

Plan around the calendar

The market closes for holidays and closes early (1:00 PM ET) on a few days a year. Volume is often lighter around holidays. The market hours page lists this year's dates.