Best 4 AM Pre-Market & After-Hours Trading Brokers

The standard trading hours for stocks are between 8:00 AM to around 4:00 PM depending on the country and stock exchange. For example, the New York Stock Exchange opens from 9:30 AM ET to 4:00 PM ET. While these regular trading hours provide ample trading opportunities to traders, many may find significant advantages in pre-market and after-hours trading sessions. 

These extended trading hours enable traders to respond to breaking news, earnings reports, and other market-moving events outside the standard trading day. In this guide, we are going to review some of the best 4 AM pre-market and after-hours trading brokers in the world.

Understanding Pre-Market and After-hours Trading Brokers?

The primary stock exchanges that offer pre-market and after-hours trading are in the United States. As such, most brokers focus on stocks in the US for this offering. Regular trading hours in the US usually run between 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM. Pre-market is a trading session that typically commences around 4 AM ET and extends until the regular market opening at 9:30 AM ET. It offers a glimpse into potential market trends for the day ahead. On the other hand, the after-hours session commences immediately after the regular market closes at 4 PM ET and can last until 8 PM ET. It provides an opportunity to react to late-breaking news or capitalise on post-market announcements.

However, not all brokers provide access to pre-market and after-hours trading. For investors who want to capitalise on these opportunities, it is essential to choose a broker that supports extended-hours trading and offers the tools, features, and pricing structure to make your experience seamless. 

Let’s now take a look at some of the best 4 AM pre-market and after-hours trading brokers. To make our selections, we will consider the availability of pre-market and after-hours trading, the regulation of the broker, the fees involved, and the ability to diversify one’s portfolio. We will also discuss the trading platforms available to traders.

Pepperstone

Pepperstone is a globally recognised broker that offers pre-market and after-hours trading. With this broker, traders can trade pre-open and post-close trading hours and 24-hour CFD trading on select US shares overnight. Investors can access 37 of the biggest US shares including Apple, Tesla, Amazon, Nvidia, and more for 24-hour trading. This gives traders the opportunity to trade the aftermath of corporate reports released outside of normal trading hours. After all, it’s incredibly rare for a publicly-listed US firm to report earnings during market hours. 

Pepperstone provides CFD stock trading with some of the most competitive fees in the market. For instance, trading U.S. shares incurs a minimum commission of $0.02 per share per side. Shares from other regions enjoy similarly low commission rates.

Positively, Pepperstone is a regulated broker in a variety of jurisdictions. This helps win the trust of investors earning Pepperstone the reputation of one of the best 4 AM pre-market and after-hours trading brokers. Specifically, this broker holds regulatory licenses from the FCA in the UK, the ASIC in Australia, the CySEC in Cyprus, the BaFin in Germany, and the DFSA in Dubai, among others.

Aside from stock trading, investors also have access to other global markets on the Pepperstone trading site. Overall, traders can access CFDs on forex, indices, commodities, stocks, cryptocurrencies, and ETFs. This allows investors to diversify their portfolios as they see fit. To trade the various market products, traders can use various trading platforms including MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, Pepperstone Trading Platform, cTrader, and TradingView.

Please note that Pepperstone does not accept US traders.

75.9% of retail CFD accounts lose money

Interactive Brokers

Interactive Brokers is another broker that offers investors pre-market and after-hours trading through overnight trading. With Interactive Brokers, clients can trade over 10,000 U.S. stocks and ETFs from 8:00 PM ET to 3:50 AM ET Sunday to Friday using the IBKR Overnight destination. To make this possible, Interactive Brokers has partnered with liquidity provider Blue Ocean to offer access to streaming quotes beyond the typical sessions.

IBKR has a highly competitive fee structure. Stocks and ETFs incur $0 commissions for IBKR Lite users based in the US. Elsewhere, a tiered pricing model applies, starting at 0.05% of trade value for traders with a monthly trading volume equal to or less than 50,000,000.

Further, this broker allows investors to trade other market products including forex currency pairs, stocks, options, futures, bonds, funds, and crypto. The trading platforms available to use include Trader WorkStation and the IBKR Platform. 

Interactive Brokers operates under multiple regulatory licenses. It holds licenses from the SEC and CFTC in the U.S., the FCA in the U.K., ASIC in Australia, and CIRO in Canada. Furthermore, the broker is a member of both FINRA and the NYSE. 

TD Direct Investment

TD Direct Investment is a well-established broker offering extensive pre-market and after-hours trading capabilities. With TD Direct Investing investors can enter pre-market or after-hour orders online using WebBroker or Advanced Dashboard for eligible securities. Investors can use this time to quickly respond to business news or changes in the market. Additionally, they can respond to the influence overseas markets have on US shares. 

Trading stocks on TD Direct Investment has straightforward pricing which is competitive. When trading Canadian and US stocks, a flat commission of $1.99 applies for any trades less than 1 share. In contrast, a flat commission of $9.99 applies for any trades involving 1 full share or more. This is also for Canadian and US stocks. Further, investors with 150+ trades in a quarter pay a flat commission of $7.0 plus $1.25 per contract for Canadian and US options.

On another note, traders can diversify their portfolios on this trading site. It offers investors access to stocks, ETFs, cryptocurrency ETFs, mutual funds, fixed-income investments, guaranteed investment certificates, and options. The trading platforms available to use include WebBroker, Advanced Dashboard, TD Active Trader, and TD app. 

Finally, TD Direct Investment operates under the regulation of the CIRO in Canada, and the SEC and FINRA in the US.

WeBull

Webull has gained popularity as a modern and tech-savvy brokerage platform. It offers trading 24 hours a day, 5 days a week for select securities. This is possible because of overnight trading that runs from 8:00 PM ET to 4:00 AM ET, Sunday through Thursday. Overnight trading executions and quote data are offered by Blue Ocean Alternative Trading System (BOATS). This alternative trading system operates outside of traditional stock exchanges, connecting buyers to sellers for trade execution.

Interestingly, Webull does not charge commissions for trading stocks, ETFs and options listed on U.S. exchanges. However, it does charge a $0.55 per contract fee for certain index option trades. Fees are also applied by certain regulatory agencies, some of which are passed from the broker’s dealer to clients as a pass-through transaction. Webull does not profit from these fees. 

On another note, WeBull allows its investors to spread their investments across various market products. In particular, this broker offers its clients stocks and ETFs, options, futures, and fixed incomes. To place orders in the various markets, WeBull provides its proprietary software, WeBull that is available as a desktop application, mobile app, and the the Web.

Finally, WeBull is regulated by top-tier authorities, ensuring a secure trading environment. It is overseen by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and is a member of the FINRA. Additionally, customer accounts are protected by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC).

TradeStation

TradeStation is another choice for pre-market and after-hours trading. It supports extended trading hours, allowing traders to capitalise on market events occurring outside of regular sessions. Pre-market trading starts at 6:00 AM ET and after-hours trading extends until 8:00 PM ET. This gives investors ample flexibility to react to breaking news and earnings reports. 

Positively, US-based investors can trade stocks and ETFs commission-free on TradeStation. However, they pay a fee of $0.60 per contract on stock options. In comparison, traders outside the US pay a commission of $5 per trade on stocks. Similarly, they pay a commission of $5 per trade plus $0.60 per contract on stock options. 

Further, TradeStation provides access to a wide range of financial products. Aside from stocks, investors can also access options, futures, futures options, ETFs, and mutual funds. The broker provides its proprietary software, TradeStation, for buying and selling the various available assets. It is available as a desktop app, a web platform, and a mobile app.

Now let’s see how this broker is regulated. Well, it operates under the supervision of the SEC, the CFTC, the NFA, and the FINRA, all in the US. Extensive regulation is a favourable sign for investors, though it's important to remember that regulation alone doesn't guarantee positive outcomes.

Benefits of Pre-Market and After-Hours Trading

• React to News - Extended hours trading allows investors to respond to breaking news and earnings reports before regular market hours.
• Increased Flexibility - Traders with busy schedules can participate in the market outside standard hours.
• Potential Opportunities - Price movements during extended hours can offer unique trading opportunities.

Potential Drawbacks of Pre-Market and After-Hours Trading

• Low Liquidity - Trading volumes are often lower during extended hours, leading to wider bid-ask spreads.
• Higher Volatility - Prices can be more volatile due to fewer participants.

Final Remarks

Pre-market and after-hours trading offer significant advantages for investors seeking to capitalise on market-moving events outside regular hours. Nonetheless, selecting the optimal broker for pre-market and after-hours trading is a crucial step for investors. The brokers featured here stand out for their robust platforms, extended hours access, and competitive pricing. 

On top of that, they all have regulations from well-respected organisations. Before engaging in pre-market and after-hours trading, make sure you understand the risks and have a clear strategy in place for the best experience. Moreover, select a broker that aligns with your trading style, goals, and experience level to maximise your potential in these extended trading sessions.