What are the trading hours for after-hours sessions in Eastern Time?

• A. 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET
• B. 8:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. ET
• C. 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. ET
• D. 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET

Answer: (A)

After-hours trading is the period right after the regular market close when you can still buy and sell stocks. In U.S. markets, the standard after-hours window runs from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. This allows traders to react to late-day news or earnings releases, but liquidity tends to be thinner and price moves can be more volatile, so using limit orders and understanding wider spreads is important. The other time frames don’t fit the common after-hours pattern: 8:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. ET goes beyond the typical window, 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. ET is only a shorter slice, and 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET includes pre-market hours and the regular session, not just after-hours.