What is Regular trading hours?
Asosiy savdo seansi
In short
The main US exchange session: 09:30–16:00 New York time. In Tashkent that is 18:30–01:00 in summer and 19:30–02:00 in winter.
Also known as: RTH, market hours, seans
The regular session is the official trading day of US exchanges: Monday to Friday, 09:30–16:00 New York time (ET). Most of the day's volume trades in these 6.5 hours, spreads are at their tightest, and the daily candle (OHLC) is drawn from this window.
In Tashkent time
Tashkent is UTC+5 and does not observe daylight saving. The US does, so the hours shift during the year:
- Summer (mid-March to early November, EDT): 18:30 – 01:00.
- Winter (early November to mid-March, EST): 19:30 – 02:00.
The US moves its clocks forward on the second Sunday of March and back on the first Sunday of November — check the timing of your signals and alerts on those dates.
Why the regular session matters
- Liquidity. Compared with pre-market and after-hours, there are more participants, tighter spreads and less slippage.
- Open and close. The first 30 minutes and the last hour are usually the busiest and most volatile. Sharp moves at the open sometimes reverse quickly.
- Order types. At many brokers stop orders only work in the regular session, while extended hours accept limit orders only.
Exchanges are closed at weekends and on US holidays, and on some days before holidays they close early at 13:00 ET.
Regular session is 09:30–16:00 ET. When the US changes its clocks, Tashkent times shift by an hour.
Example
How many minutes are in a daily candle? From 09:30 to 16:00 is 6.5 hours × 60 = 390 minutes. So a 5-minute chart has 390 ÷ 5 = 78 candles per day.
A trader in Tashkent wants to watch the first 15 minutes after the open and then enter:
- In July: 18:30 + 15 minutes = 18:45.
- In January: 19:30 + 15 minutes = 19:45.
If they forget the November clock change and sit down at 18:45, the market will not be open yet — and they may make a wrong decision based on pre-market prices.
Mistakes and tips
Write your price alerts and trading plan in New York time, and recalculate the Tashkent time every March and November.
Avoid market orders in the first minutes after the open — spreads and jumps are still large.
Late-night trading wrecks sleep: set your stop-loss and take-profit in advance instead of waiting up for the close.
Frequently asked questions
- What time does the US stock market open in Tashkent?
- At 18:30 in summer and 19:30 in winter. It closes at 01:00 in summer and 02:00 in winter.
- Is there trading on Saturday and Sunday?
- No, US stock exchanges are closed at weekends. Weekend news usually shows up in prices at Monday's open.
Learn it in the Academy
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