Extended-Hours Trading at Schwab
Highlights:
• With a brokerage account at Schwab, it's possible to trade outside the regular day session using a variety of methods.
• Futures, forex, and foreign exchanges open up more trading times at Schwab.
• Overnight trading in some U.S.-listed securities is another possibility.
If you want to trade at Schwab but can't submit orders during the regular day session, there are many other techniques that can be used to trade. Here is the lowdown:
Schwab Extended Hours on the U.S. Exchanges
With a Schwab brokerage account, it's possible to trade during the regular day session or during extended hours. The broker's pre-market period starts at 7:00 am, Eastern Standard Time, and ends at 9:25 am, five minutes before the opening bell. Schwab's post-market period begins at 4:05 pm, five minutes after the closing bell, and ends at 8:00 pm.
It's really easy to submit an extended-hours trade at Schwab using any software platform available. On the thinkorswim desktop system, simply go into the TIF (time in force) menu on the order ticket at the bottom of the platform and select AM or PM (or EXT for both sessions). If the order doesn't fill in the specific period, it will be cancelled. If you want the order to stay in the hopper until it fills, select GTC_EXT. The thinkorswim mobile app has the same duration choices.
On the website with SnapTicket, the site's pop-out order form, go into the Timing menu and select GTC + extended hours. To specify just one extended-hours period, select extended hours am or extended hours pm. With either one of these choices, the order must fill during that period; otherwise, it will be cancelled at the close of the session.
Open Charles Schwab Account
Satisfaction guarantee and $0-fee trades at Charles Schwab.
Open Schwab Account
Schwab Extended Hours on the Foreign Exchanges
Another opportunity to trade outside of America's regular day session is foreign exchanges. Schwab offers trading on multiple foreign stock exchanges, and these tend to be open while America's exchanges are closed. Some of them overlap with America's. Here's a sampling of the exchanges that are available to Schwab traders:
- Denmark
- Finland
- South Africa
- Mexico
- Canada
- United Kingdom
- New Zealand
Charles Schwab 24-Hour Trading
If you would rather stay on the American exchanges but can't do either the day session or the extended periods, there is overnight trading. Schwab offers 24/5 trading in a collection of 800+ stocks and ETFs. The list of funds is composed of roughly 200 funds, while the other securities are the stocks that make up the Dow 30, S&P 500, and Nasdaq 100.
A trade for the overnight period must be submitted through thinkorswim. Any version will work (mobile, web, or desktop). Just be sure to select a duration choice with EXTO in its title. For example, on the desktop version, we have these two choices:
- EXTO: a day order valid for up to 24 hours; the order cancels at 8:00 pm, EST, each day
- GTC_EXTO: an overnight order that doesn't expire at the end of the trading day
Futures and Forex
And don't forget forex and futures at Schwab, which are also available 24 hours a day during the week. Besides market indexes, these asset classes open up the possibility of fiat currencies, commodities, and more.
Free Charles Schwab Account
Open Schwab Account
Updated on 4/4/2025.
Continue Reading