Robinhood's Trading Hours
Robinhood's markets open at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time on weekdays and close at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. These are the standard hours for the stock market in the United States. If you live in a different time zone, you'll need to convert: that's 8:30 a.m. Central, 7:30 a.m. Mountain, or 6:30 a.m. Pacific.
Robinhood also offers extended hours trading, which lets you trade before and after the standard market day. Pre-market trading runs from 4:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Eastern, and after-hours trading runs from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern. Not all stocks are available during extended hours, and prices can move more sharply with fewer traders active.
The market does not open on weekends or on U.S. federal holidays. When a holiday falls on a weekday, the market closes entirely that day. On some holidays like the day after Thanksgiving, the market opens but closes early at 1:00 p.m. Eastern.
Key Takeaways
- Standard market hours on Robinhood are 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.
- Extended hours trading is available from 4:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern, but not all stocks trade during these windows.
- The market is closed on weekends and federal holidays, and closes early at 1:00 p.m. on the day after Thanksgiving.
- If you place an order when the market is closed, it will execute when the market opens the next trading day, unless you set specific conditions.
How Extended Hours Trading Works on Robinhood
Extended hours trading gives you access to the market outside the 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. window, but it comes with trade-offs. During pre-market (4:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.) and after-hours (4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.), fewer traders are active, so bid-ask spreads are wider. This means the difference between what you pay to buy and what you receive to sell is larger, which costs you money.
Not every stock trades during extended hours. Stocks must meet certain volume and price requirements to be available. Robinhood shows you which stocks are available for extended trading in the app before you place an order. If a stock you want to trade is not available, you'll have to wait for the standard market open.
Orders placed during extended hours are subject to the same rules as regular orders, but execution is not may provide at the price you see. Prices can move quickly with fewer traders, and your order may fill at a different price than you expected.
What Happens When You Place an Order Outside Market Hours
If you place a stock order on Robinhood when the market is closed, the order sits in a queue and executes when the market opens the next trading day. By default, these orders are set to execute at market price, meaning they will fill at whatever price the stock opens at — which may be different from the price you saw when you placed the order.
You can set conditions on your order to control when and how it executes. A limit order lets you specify a maximum price you'll pay (for a buy) or a minimum price you'll accept (for a sell). If the stock doesn't reach that price when the market opens, your order won't execute and will remain open until the end of the trading day or until you cancel it.
If you want your order to execute only during extended hours and not during regular market hours, you can set that in the order settings. This is useful if you want to trade on news that breaks after hours but don't want your order to execute the next morning if the price has moved.
Market Closures and Holiday Schedules
The U.S. stock market closes completely on these federal holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. On these days, no trading happens on Robinhood, and any orders you place will wait until the next trading day.
The market also closes early at 1:00 p.m. Eastern on the day after Thanksgiving (the Friday after Thanksgiving). This is the only regular early close during the year. On all other trading days, the market closes at 4:00 p.m. Eastern.
Robinhood's app shows you the market status and upcoming closures in the Markets section. If you're unsure whether the market is open on a specific day, you can check there before placing an order.
Time Zone Conversions for Robinhood Trading Hours
Robinhood uses Eastern Time for all market hours, regardless of where you live. If you're in a different time zone, you need to convert the times yourself. Here's how the standard 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern window translates:
| Time Zone | Market Open | Market Close |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern | 9:30 a.m. | 4:00 p.m. |
| Central | 8:30 a.m. | 3:00 p.m. |
| Mountain | 7:30 a.m. | 2:00 p.m. |
| Pacific | 6:30 a.m. | 1:00 p.m. |
Extended hours times also convert the same way. Pre-market opens at 4:00 a.m. Eastern, which is 3:00 a.m. Central, 2:00 a.m. Mountain, or 1:00 a.m. Pacific. After-hours closes at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, which is 7:00 p.m. Central, 6:00 p.m. Mountain, or 5:00 p.m. Pacific.
Why Market Hours Matter for Your Trading
Market hours affect when your orders execute and what prices you'll see. During standard hours, the market is most liquid, meaning there are many buyers and sellers active. This usually means tighter spreads and faster execution. During extended hours, fewer traders are active, so prices can be more volatile and harder to predict.
If you're planning to trade on news or earnings announcements, knowing when the market opens and closes helps you time your orders. Many companies release earnings after the market closes, which means the stock price can move significantly before the market opens the next day. If you want to trade on that news, extended hours trading is your only option.
Setting limit orders and understanding how orders queue overnight also helps you avoid surprises. A market order placed at 8:00 p.m. will execute at whatever price the stock opens at the next morning, which could be very different from the closing price you saw the night before.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I trade on Robinhood at 8:00 a.m. Eastern?
Yes, but only during pre-market hours. The standard market doesn't open until 9:30 a.m. Eastern. Pre-market trading runs from 4:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., so you can trade at 8:00 a.m., but not all stocks are available and spreads are wider than during regular hours.
What happens to my order if I place it at 11:00 p.m.?
Your order will queue and execute when the market opens the next trading day at 9:30 a.m. Eastern, unless you set specific conditions like a limit price or extended hours only. If you want it to execute during after-hours trading instead, you can change the order settings before placing it.
Does Robinhood trade on weekends?
No. The stock market is closed on Saturdays and Sundays. Any orders you place on the weekend will execute on Monday morning when the market opens, unless you cancel them first.
What time does the market close on the day after Thanksgiving?
The market closes at 1:00 p.m. Eastern on the day after Thanksgiving (the Friday after Thanksgiving). This is the only day during the year when the market closes early. On all other trading days, it closes at 4:00 p.m. Eastern.
Can I set an order to execute only during extended hours?
Yes. When you place an order on Robinhood, you can choose whether it executes during regular hours, extended hours, or both. If you select extended hours only, your order will not execute during the 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. window.