Standard equity options trade from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, matching regular stock market hours. Index options like SPX and VIX trade slightly longer hours. A growing number of ETF options (including SPY, QQQ, and IWM) now offer extended trading sessions before and after regular hours.

Standard Options Trading Hours

| Session | Time (ET) | What Trades | Pre-market8:15 AM – 9:15 AMSelect index options only Regular session9:30 AM – 4:00 PMAll equity and ETF options Index extended9:30 AM – 4:15 PMSPX, VIX, NDX, RUT | After-hours (select ETFs) | 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM | SPY, QQQ, IWM, DIA (at select brokers) |

Most retail options trading happens during regular hours. The opening 30 minutes (9:30–10:00) and closing 30 minutes (3:30–4:00) see the heaviest volume.

Index Options: Slightly Different Hours

SPX, NDX, RUT, and VIX options trade until 4:15 PM ET — 15 minutes after the stock market closes. This extended period lets traders react to end-of-day moves and rebalancing flows.

SPX also offers "Global Trading Hours" for some expirations:

  • Sunday – Friday: 6:00 PM – 9:15 AM ET (electronic trading)
  • Regular: 9:30 AM – 4:15 PM ET

    • These extended hours are primarily used by institutional and international traders.

    After-Hours and Pre-Market Options Trading

    Several exchanges now support extended hours for select ETF options:

    CBOE Extended Trading Hours (select products):

  • Pre-market: 7:00 AM – 9:15 AM ET
  • Regular: 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM ET
  • After-hours: 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM ET

    • Available for: SPY, QQQ, IWM, and a growing list of high-volume ETFs. Your broker must support extended hours — not all do.

    Important caveats about extended-hours options trading:

  • Wider spreads. Bid-ask spreads expand significantly outside regular hours. A $0.02 spread during the day might be $0.15–$0.50 after hours.
  • Lower volume. Fewer participants means worse execution quality.
  • Higher volatility. Prices can swing sharply on low volume.
  • Limit orders only. Never use market orders in extended sessions.

    • 0DTE (Zero Days to Expiration) Trading Hours

    0DTE options have become enormously popular. SPY, QQQ, SPX, and IWM now offer options expiring every trading day. These trade during regular market hours (9:30 AM – 4:00 PM for equity ETFs, 9:30 AM – 4:15 PM for index options).

    The most active 0DTE window is typically 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM ET, when intraday trends have established themselves but enough time remains for the trade to play out.

    When Options Expire

    Expiration occurs at the end of the trading day. However, settlement details vary:

    | Type | Expiration Time | Settlement | Equity/ETF options4:00 PM ET FridayPhysical (shares delivered) Weekly options4:00 PM ET FridayPhysical SPX (PM-settled)4:00 PM ETCash settled SPX (AM-settled, monthly)Friday morning openingCash settled | VIX options | Wednesday AM | Cash settled |

    The 4:00 PM close isn't quite the end — after-hours stock moves between 4:00 PM and 5:30 PM can affect whether an option is auto-exercised. The OCC's exercise cutoff is 5:30 PM ET.

    Market Holidays

    Options markets are closed on all U.S. stock market holidays (New Year's, MLK Day, Presidents' Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas). Markets close early at 1:00 PM ET on the day before Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and July 3rd.

    Best Times to Trade Options

    10:00–11:30 AM ET: The morning rush subsides and spreads tighten. Good window for entering positions after the opening volatility settles.

    2:00–3:30 PM ET: Afternoon session with solid volume. Many institutional orders execute during this window.

    Avoid: The first 15 minutes (9:30–9:45) unless you're an experienced day trader. Spreads are widest and pricing is chaotic as overnight orders fill.

    OptionsPilot's screener data refreshes during market hours, so the premium yields and probabilities you see reflect current market conditions during the regular trading session.