Options traders will eventually be able to react to after-hours earnings reports and pre-market news by trading single-stock options outside regular market hours, once CBOE’s extended trading sessions actually launch. CBOE received SEC approval to offer extended sessions for approximately 20 of the highest-volume equity options names, but the launch itself has slipped twice and does not yet have a confirmed date.
- CBOE extended hours for single-stock options is SEC-approved but has been delayed twice: first from July 13 to August 17, 2026, then pulled again with no new date confirmed as of August 18, 2026.
- Once live, the planned sessions are: pre-market 7:30, 9:25 AM ET. Post-market 4:00, 4:15 PM ET.
- Only the highest-liquidity names qualify at launch: all Magnificent 7 stocks (NVDA, AAPL, MSFT, AMZN, META, GOOG, TSLA), plus AVGO, AMD, and PLTR among others. Roughly 20 names total.
- Eligibility criteria: 150,000+ average daily contracts, $50B+ market cap, 10M+ average daily shares. The list updates semi-annually.
- Practical use case, once launched: reacting to an after-hours earnings print in the 4:00, 4:15 PM window before the broader market digests the news the next morning.
- Risks: wider bid-ask spreads and lower liquidity compared to regular session. Not all retail platforms are expected to support extended hours options immediately at launch.
What CBOE Extended Hours Options Actually Are
Options on U.S. equities currently trade during regular market hours: 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM ET, Monday through Friday. The CBOE approval creates two new windows around that core session:
- Pre-market session: 7:30 AM to 9:25 AM ET (5 minutes before regular open)
- Post-market session: 4:00 PM to 4:15 PM ET (15 minutes after regular close)
These are not 24-hour options. The extended windows are narrow and targeted specifically at the periods when major catalysts, primarily earnings reports, tend to hit. Most large-cap companies report AMC (after market close) or BMO (before market open), which puts the announcement squarely inside one of these two windows.
Which Stocks Are Eligible at Launch
CBOE designed the eligibility criteria to limit extended hours trading to names with enough liquidity that market makers can maintain reasonably tight spreads even with reduced participation. The three requirements:
- 150,000 or more average daily contracts traded
- Underlying stock market cap of $50 billion or higher
- Underlying stock average daily trading volume of 10 million shares or higher
Under CBOE’s approved rule, approximately 20 names qualify at launch. The confirmed list includes all seven Magnificent 7 components (NVDA, AAPL, MSFT, AMZN, META, GOOGL, TSLA) along with other high-volume names including AVGO, AMD, and PLTR. CBOE updates the eligible list semi-annually, so additional names may be added over time as they hit the volume thresholds.
Critically, this is not a broad market expansion. Options on mid-cap stocks, small-cap names, sector ETFs, and most individual stocks outside the mega-cap tier will not be available in extended sessions at launch.
How This Will Change the Earnings Options Setup, Once It Launches
The most practical application for retail traders is managing positions around after-hours earnings reports. Here is the sequence that will be possible once extended hours actually launch:
- Company reports earnings AMC at approximately 4:05 PM ET. Under the current system, options traders must wait until 9:30 AM the next morning to react.
- Extended post-market session runs 4:00, 4:15 PM ET. Traders will be able to open or close positions in the 10 minutes after the report drops, before the market officially digests the news in the next morning’s open.
- Pre-market session opens at 7:30 AM ET. For names reporting BMO, the pre-market window will give options traders access before the 9:30 AM regular open.
Consider a hypothetical example: NVDA reports Q2 results at 4:10 PM ET on an AMC date. The stock is up 8% in pre-market trading. Under today’s regular-hours rules, you would need to wait until 9:30 AM to close your short puts or buy protective puts. Once extended hours options are live, you would be able to act in the 4:10, 4:15 PM window immediately after the results, or in the 7:30, 9:25 AM pre-market session the following morning, to adjust before the regular open.
This will matter most for:
- Traders holding short premium positions into an AMC event who want to close early rather than carry gamma risk overnight
- Traders who want to establish a directional position based on a confirmed earnings result before the next morning’s likely gap
- Long options holders who want to take profits on a winning straddle or strangle in the post-earnings window rather than waiting for the next session
What Does Not Change
A few important clarifications on scope:
This is a CBOE-level approval, not a universal retail platform rollout. CBOE’s SEC approval means the exchange can offer these sessions once they go live, but each broker must separately implement support. Not all retail platforms have confirmed they will support extended hours options at launch. Expect the major platforms (IBKR, Schwab/thinkorswim, tastytrade) to move relatively quickly once CBOE sets a firm date, while others may lag. Check your broker’s platform news for updates, since the launch date itself is currently unconfirmed.
Regular expiration mechanics do not change. Weekly and monthly options still expire on Fridays (or Thursdays for some index products). Extended hours sessions add trading windows, not new expirations.
0DTE options are not extended by this change. The 0DTE sessions end at the regular close (4:00 PM ET for equity options). The post-market session opening at 4:00 PM is a new window for non-zero-DTE options, not an extension of same-day expiration.
Liquidity and Spread Risk in Extended Sessions
Extended hours trading in equities has been available for years, and the pattern is consistent: wider bid-ask spreads and lower fill quality compared to regular hours. Options extended sessions will likely follow the same pattern, at least initially.
During regular hours on a name like NVDA or AAPL, ATM options spreads are often $0.01, $0.05 wide. In extended sessions with fewer market makers active, spreads on the same contracts could be $0.10, $0.50 wide or more, depending on the market environment and the time within the extended window.
Practical implications, once the sessions are live:
- Limit orders, not market orders. In thin extended sessions, a market order on options could fill at a significant discount or premium to fair value.
- Size down. Wider spreads mean higher transaction costs. Consider smaller position sizes during extended sessions until you observe actual spread behavior on your broker’s platform.
- The 4:00, 4:15 PM window is especially thin. This 15-minute post-market window is narrow. Heavy IV expansion from an earnings event may make spreads temporarily very wide in the first few minutes after a report. The useful execution window may be closer to 4:10, 4:15 PM once spreads settle.
Which Platforms Are Best Positioned for Extended Hours Options
Interactive Brokers already operates one of the broadest extended hours equity trading infrastructures among retail brokers. IBKR’s real-time risk engine and direct market access routing make it a natural early adopter once CBOE’s extended options hours actually go live. Commissions at IBKR Pro are $0.65 per contract (verified 2026-03-28); IBKR Lite users get $0 per contract with PFOF routing.
tastytrade built its platform explicitly for options traders and has been aggressive about supporting new CBOE products, including early support for 0DTE and VIX options. It is a reasonable bet to support extended hours for eligible names at or near whenever CBOE finalizes a launch date.
Other platforms to watch: Schwab/thinkorswim (institutional grade, likely early adopter), Robinhood (typically slower on new product support, check their platform blog closer to launch), and Webull (speed of adoption varies by product).
Bottom Line
CBOE extended hours for single-stock options is a tool retail traders have wanted for years, once it actually launches. The rule is approved and the mechanics above are set, but the go-live date has already slipped twice, from July 13 to August 17, 2026, and then off the calendar entirely, so treat the launch as pending rather than imminent. When it does arrive, the scope will still be limited (roughly 20 names, a narrow 15-minute post-market window) and will carry real spread risk, but for traders managing positions in mega-cap names around AMC events, the change will matter. Watch CBOE’s official notice and broker-by-broker rollout announcements for the new effective date once one is set.
FAQ
Q: When does CBOE extended hours options trading start?
A: There is no confirmed launch date as of August 18, 2026. CBOE originally targeted July 13, 2026, then rescheduled to August 17, 2026. That date has since been pulled as well; CBOE’s own schedule notice now reads “effective on a date to be announced in a subsequent notice.” Check CBOE’s notice directly for the current status before planning around any specific date.
Q: Which stocks can I trade options on in extended hours?
A: Once the sessions launch, approximately 20 names are expected to qualify based on CBOE’s eligibility criteria (150K+ avg daily contracts, $50B+ market cap, 10M+ avg daily shares). The confirmed eligible names include NVDA, AAPL, MSFT, AMZN, META, GOOGL, TSLA, AVGO, AMD, and PLTR. CBOE updates the list semi-annually, so additional names may be added.
Q: What are the extended hours options trading times?
A: As approved: pre-market session 7:30 AM to 9:25 AM ET, post-market session 4:00 PM to 4:15 PM ET. Regular session (unchanged): 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM ET. These times apply once CBOE sets a live effective date.
Q: Can I trade 0DTE options in extended hours?
A: No. The extended hours sessions will not extend 0DTE (same-day expiration) options. The post-market session is for non-zero-DTE contracts. 0DTE equity options still expire at the regular 4:00 PM ET close.
Q: What are the risks of trading options in extended hours?
A: The primary risks are wider bid-ask spreads and lower liquidity compared to regular session. With fewer market makers active, fills are likely to be worse than during regular hours. Once live, use limit orders, size down relative to regular-hours positions, and allow spreads to settle before executing, especially in the first few minutes after an AMC earnings release.