InsiderFlow › Glossary › What is after-hours trading?
After-hours is trading after Wall Street's official close: thin liquidity, amplified swings.
The US market runs 9:30 to 16:00 New York time, but you can also trade before (pre-market, from 4:00) and after (after hours, until 20:00). That's where stocks react to earnings, which are almost always published outside market hours.
With few participants, spreads widen and prices move in jerks: an +8% after-hours pop can become +2% (or -3%) at the next open. For retail investors it's terrain to handle with care.
On InsiderFlow these concepts come alive on real data: what big funds and insiders are buying, explained every day.
It depends on the broker: many allow it with mandatory limit orders, precisely because of thin liquidity.
Because overnight the market digests the news: the open gathers far more participants and orders.