Extended-Hours Trading on thinkorswim: Points to Remember
• Schwab offers extended-hours trading on its flagship platform thinkorswim.
• Both pre-market and post-market trading sessions are available on thinkorswim for securities, although cryptocurrencies are off limits.
•
Overnight trading in a good list of securities is also available.
• There are no additional fees at Schwab for placing an extended-hours trade.
Advanced trading tools are only the beginning on Charles Schwab’s pro-level platform thinkorswim. The software also delivers the ability to trade before the opening bell and after the closing bell.
Extended and Overnight Hours on thinkorswim
thinkorswim users at Charles Schwab can trade most stocks and ETFs from 7:00 am until 9:25 am, New York time, and from 4:05 pm until 8:00 pm. It goes without saying that the regular day session (from 9:30 until 4:00) is fair game, too. It is not possible to trade most securities between the two five-minute breaks around the day session.
24-hour trading is possible in a growing list of securities, although only 5 days per week are available.
So it’s not quite 24/7 trading.
We found many exchange-traded funds on the list. These funds have their own watchlist on thinkorswim; just look for the ’24 Hour Trading’ list in the watchlist section on the platform.
Extended Hours on thinkorswim Mobile
thinkorswim in mobile format has several duration choices on its order ticket, including a few that extended-hours traders will want to be aware of. They are:
- Extended EXT (This is a day order that includes pre-market and after-hours sessions)
- Good Till Canceled Extended (This is a GTC order that includes pre-market and after-hours periods)
- Extended Hours Overnight EXTO (Order is valid for up to 24 continuous hours and expires at 8:00 pm every day)
- Good Till Canceled EXTO (This order type is valid for all sessions until canceled)
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Get Thinkorswim platform and $0-fee trades at Charles Schwab.
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Extended Hours on thinkorswim Web
thinkorswim in web version has mostly the same duration choices as the mobile app with two important additions:
Day order + pre-market session
Day order + after-hours session
Extended Hours on thinkorswim Desktop
thinkorswim in desktop version is the final platform, and it, too, has duration choices for extended hours and the overnight session. They are:
- EXT (A day order that includes pre-market and after-hours trading)
- GTC_EXT (A good-til-canceled order that includes pre-market and after-hours trading)
- EXTO (This is the Extended Hours Overnight EXTO order from the browser platform)
- GTC_EXTO (Converting the above order into a GTC order)
If a security is eligible for overnight trading, the phrase “EXTO Eligible” will appear in the blue title bar at the top of the platform.
Futures and Forex
Futures contracts and traditional currencies can be traded at Schwab on thinkorswim in any format. These asset classes can be traded around the clock, day or night, 6 days a week, so they’re a good option for overnight trading.
Free Thinkorswim Platform
Get Thinkorswim platform and $0-fee trades at Charles Schwab.
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Updated on 4/4/2025.
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