With the U.S. ending daylight saving time, the opening of the regular session for U.S. stocks will be pushed back one hour to 11:30 PM Eastern Time starting November 2, with the close at 6:00 AM the following day. Local trading hours on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Nasdaq remain 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM Eastern Time, but the time difference with South Korea has widened from 13 to 14 hours, changing the timetable South Korean investors experience.
The U.S. ended daylight saving time at 2:00 AM local time on November 1. The system moves clocks forward one hour during the long-day season to make use of evening natural light, beginning on the second Sunday of March and ending on the first Sunday of November each year. This year it began on March 8 and ended on November 1. As a result, the time difference with the East Coast, including New York and Washington, D.C., widened to 14 hours, while the difference with the West Coast, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, widened from 16 to 17 hours.
Trading hours before and after the regular session are also pushed back. On Nasdaq, pre-market trading runs from 6:00 PM to 11:30 PM Eastern Time, and after-market trading from 6:00 AM to 10:00 AM, each adjusted one hour later. However, the extended-hours trading windows actually available to South Korean investors differ by brokerage, so investors should check notices from the firm where they hold an account.
| Category | Before (Eastern Time) | After (Eastern Time) |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-market | 5:00 PM–10:30 PM | 6:00 PM–11:30 PM |
| Regular session | 10:30 PM–5:00 AM | 11:30 PM–6:00 AM |
| After-market | 5:00 AM–9:00 AM | 6:00 AM–10:00 AM |
| Day market | 9:00 AM–4:50 PM | 10:00 AM–5:50 PM |
Note: Based on Nasdaq trading hours and South Korean brokerages’ day-market trading. Extended-hours trading windows differ by brokerage.
The day-market trading for U.S. stocks offered by South Korean brokerages will also start one hour later, from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM. Closing times vary by firm—Kiwoom Securities at 5:45 PM and Meritz Securities at 5:50 PM—so investors should check guidance from their own brokerage.
Release times for major economic indicators are also pushed back one hour. The employment report and the Consumer Price Index (CPI), released at 8:30 AM Eastern Time, will now be published at 10:30 PM Eastern Time instead of 9:30 PM. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics schedule, the October employment report will be released on November 6 and the October CPI on November 10, both at that time.
The timetable change poses a challenge for South Korean investors who have increased their weighting in U.S. stocks, requiring them to rework their trading timing and the times at which they access information. In particular, with the market close extending past midnight to 6:00 AM, the burden of nighttime monitoring grows, and the window for responding to volatility immediately after indicator releases opens about 30 minutes later. Conversely, with the day market now starting at 10:00 AM, the overlap with the South Korean stock market in the morning hours is reduced—an outcome some see as relatively favorable for diversified investors.
Daylight saving time will resume on the second Sunday of March next year. For about four months until then, U.S. stocks and major indicators will operate on the adjusted Eastern Time schedule.
