Extended Hours and 24-Hour Trading at IBKR
In this article, we’ll learn:
• IBKR clients have several ways to trade securities and other asset classes outside regular market hours.
• Besides pre-market and post-market trading, Interactive Brokers also has 24/5 trading in thousands of stocks, ETFs, and equity options.
• Futures, forex, and cryptocurrencies can be traded around the clock with an IBKR account.
Overview of Extended Hours at Interactive Brokers
Interactive Brokers strives to be the best broker in the world for advanced trading, and this is clear when it comes to extended hours. The firm allows clients to trade many types of products at almost any time, day or night. No other broker-dealer we know of can match this. Here are the details:
IBKR Extended Hours for Securities
First, we’ll look at extended-hours stock and ETF trading. IBKR has both pre-market and after-hours sessions, and trading at these times is just as simple as trading during the day. The pre-market period goes from 7:00 am, Eastern Time, until the opening bell. IBKR Pro customers can start at 4:00 am, which is 3 hours earlier. Both IBKR Lite and Pro customers can keep trading after the closing bell until 8:00 pm.
To place a trade before the market opens or after it closes on the web portal, log in and go to the stock or ETF’s profile. You can find it by typing in the company name or ticker symbol and picking the asset from the drop-down menu.
On the profile page, click either the blue buy button or the red sell button. Both open the same order form. Choose the trade details, like the order type and length. You’ll see a drop-down menu labeled ‘Outside RTH.’ Pick yes so the order can fill outside standard hours. This means it can fill in the pre-market or post-market session, though you can’t pick only one.
On Trader Workstation, IBKR’s advanced desktop platform, there’s a similar menu to choose ‘Fill outside RTH.’ There’s also a second one: ‘Allow pre-open.’ That one leaves out the post-market session. Lastly, there’s a third choice: ‘Overnight Trading.’ Let’s talk about that next.
IBKR Overnight Trading for Securities
IBKR goes even further. For those who prefer to trade late at night, the brokerage has overnight trading that covers the gap between 8:00 pm and 4:00 am the following day. Strictly speaking, there’s a 10-minute break from 3:50 am until 4:00 am. No trading occurs during that break, so it’s almost 24-hour trading, but not entirely. It’s also not 24/7. There’s a 2-day break from Friday at 8:00 pm to Sunday at 8:00 pm.
The best part of IBKR’s overnight trading is the large number of stocks and ETFs you can trade—around 10,000. Plus, there are thousands of equity options you can trade overnight, too.
Both Lite and Pro customers can participate in overnight trading, although you have to sign a special risk disclosure electronically. To do this, log in to the website and click on the head-and-shoulders icon at the top of the screen. Select settings, then pick Trading Permissions. You’ll need to sign the After Hours Trading Risk Disclosure form.
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Crypto Trading
Next is cryptocurrencies, which trade all day, every day. This is another way to trade any time, including nights and weekends. To trade crypto, you need to add trading permission for digital coins to your IBKR account first. The available coins include Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, and Litecoin.
Crypto orders go through IBKR’s platform via arrangements with Paxos and Zero Hash. IBKR clients who add the Plus trading permission can also trade directly on those platforms, which is helpful when IBKR is down for maintenance. This method allows 24/7 trading.
Futures and Forex
Regular currencies don’t trade 24/7, but they do trade 24/5 (from Sunday at 5:00 pm, EST, until Friday at 5:00 pm). Futures contracts follow similar hours, though each contract has its own schedule, so always verify.
Because Interactive Brokers provides both futures and forex trading, they’re extra ways to trade almost around the clock.
Gold and Silver
IBKR customers can trade precious metals on the London market, which is active 24/7. If you want to trade London spot gold on Trader Workstation at any hour, just enter XAUUSD in the ticker field and pick your order details.
Foreign Exchanges
Finally, IBKR grants access to many foreign exchanges. These markets often operate during times when US markets are closed, letting you trade outside normal American hours. For instance, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (a well-known exchange in China) is open when the NYSE is shut, and IBKR clients can trade there (although it’s not commission-free).
Assets Not Available for IBKR 24/7 Trading
Sadly, not all products at Interactive Brokers can be traded at all hours. For instance, mutual funds only trade once per day, after the market closes (though some foreign mutual funds can be traded).
Bonds are another example. They only trade during regular market hours on weekdays. However, IBKR customers can still try some global bond markets that may open outside US hours.
IBKR Fees During Extended Hours
Interactive Brokers does not charge extra for extended-hours orders. There aren’t any special minimums, either. That said, trades on certain exchanges can involve standard commissions.
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Webull as an Alternative
Webull’s interface is simpler to use than Interactive Brokers’. That makes Webull an option for traders who want ease of use.
It also offers 16 hours of trading (4:00 am, EST, to 8:00 pm),
and it charges no commissions during that timeframe.
Webull has one order ticket that requires extended hours to be selected, known as the Order Entry ticket on the desktop platform. You can choose day session only or day session plus extended hours. You can’t pick just the pre-market or after-hours on that ticket.
For other tickets on the desktop system, extended hours must be turned on system-wide. Look for the settings under the Trade menu (the icon is in the lower-left corner).
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Updated on 4/4/2025.
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