Trading Hours & Sessions
RTH, ETH, the open, the close, and the dead zones.
Many futures markets trade nearly 24 hours a day, but not every hour behaves the same. Electronic trading hours include overnight activity, while regular trading hours capture the main cash-session participation for equity index futures. Volume, volatility, and reliability change across these windows.
The open often brings the most aggressive movement because new orders, overnight positioning, and economic news are being processed. Midday can become slower and choppier. The close can bring another wave of activity as institutions adjust exposure and traders flatten positions.
A session-aware trader does not use the same expectations all day. Wider targets may make sense during high-volume periods, while reduced size or no trade may be better during thin, erratic conditions.