The official trading hours for the stock exchanges in India are 9:55 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.The majority of stock trading takes place during these hours, but there are extended hours of stock trading both before and after the official trading hours. Individual investors can trade stocks and get real-time stock quotes during these extended hours.
Pre-Market Hours
The pre-market trading session begins at 9:30a.m .Any stock can trade in the pre-market session, but stocks involved in breaking news typically trade with most of the volume. Catalysts for stock in the pre-market session include a release of an earnings report, a merger or acquisition or an analyst’s upgrade or downgrade of a stock. Pre-market trading ends at 9:45 a.m., when the stock exchanges begin normal trading sessions.
Post-Market Hours
Post-market trading begins at 3:50p.m. After the stock exchanges end their regular trading sessions, and continues through 4:00 p.m. As with the pre-market session, any stock can trade during the post-market session. The most heavily traded stocks during the post-market session are those stocks related to breaking news or stocks that release financial results.
After-Hours Quotes Online
You can find after-hours quotes online on sites such as Yahoo! Finance and Google Finance, which provide free real-time pre-market and post-market quotes. Other websites offer after-hours stock quotes that are delayed 20 minutes. You also can receive after-hours quotes from your online brokerage.
After-Hours Quotes on Television
There are three primary television financial news networks,and all three provide after-hours stock quotes. CNBC, the Fox Business Channel and ND TV Profit provide real-time after-hours quotes on their on-screen stock tickers. These three business channels are available on basic cable from most cable providers as well as on satellite television.
Warning
The volume of stock trades during the after-hours sessions is light compared with the regular trading session. As a result, a stock can trade erratically during the after-hours sessions. Be aware that stocks can have large price swings during these trading sessions and that the services offered by brokers during extended hours vary. Use caution when trading during the after-hours sessions.