Premarket Trading Report
The Premarket Trading report lists the stocks moving before the 9:30 AM ET open: the 50 most active by premarket volume, and the biggest gainers and decliners measured from the previous day's close. It follows the premarket session from 6:00 AM to 9:30 AM ET.
What is the Premarket Trading report?
US stocks can trade before the regular session opens at 9:30 AM Eastern time. Stocks that move in those early hours are often reacting to news from overnight: earnings released before the open, company announcements, or news about a whole industry or the economy. The Premarket Trading report shows which stocks are moving and which are trading the most shares before the opening bell, in three lists: Most Active, Gainers and Decliners.
How we build the report
- The premarket session. Our reports treat 6:00 AM to the 9:30 AM open, Eastern time, as the premarket session.
- Price and change. The price is the latest premarket price we have. The change is measured from the previous trading day's close, adjusted for stock splits.
- Volume. Shares traded in the premarket session only, including trades reported away from the exchanges.
- A minimum size. Gainers and Decliners need a move of at least 1% and enough premarket volume for the stock's price, so a few hundred shares in a small stock can't top the list. The table below has the rules.
- News and earnings. The Alerts column shows N when a stock has a press release or news headline since the previous trading day's 9:30 AM open, and E when it reported earnings before today's open or on the previous day. Hover over the letter for the details.
- A new day. The report starts a new day a little after 5:00 AM ET. After the open it keeps that morning's premarket, as of 9:30 AM, until the next trading day.
Market cap uses the last regular-session price, not the premarket price. The lists show trading activity, not buy or sell signals.
What you can find out
Which stocks are moving in the premarket today?
Gainers and Decliners rank stocks by their percentage move from the previous close, biggest first. Each one has moved at least 1% on enough premarket volume to count. See today's premarket movers
Which stocks are trading the most shares before the open?
Most Active lists the 50 stocks with the most premarket volume, whether their price is up or down. See the most active stocks
Is there news or earnings behind a premarket move?
Check the Alerts column: N for a press release or headline, E for an earnings report. Premium members can also filter the lists to stocks with news, with earnings, or with either. See today's earnings reports
How did stocks trade after big opening gaps lately?
On a computer, a study under the lists shows the stocks that opened at least 1% above or below the previous close over roughly the last four weeks, on enough premarket volume, and how they moved from the open to 10:00 AM and to the close. Visitors without a qualifying Premium plan see a sample of 10 past gaps. See the opening-gap study
What moved in the premarket on an earlier day?
Premium members can switch the lists to an earlier day with the date bar above them, which also shows each recent day's premarket count, volume and dollar value. Stock-by-stock lists go back about a year. Open the report
Where to find it
Menu: Stocks › Non-Regular Hours › Premarket Trading, or go straight to /Reports/PremarketTrading. On a phone the page shows just the three lists.
The three lists are free. Members of any Premium plan can also filter them (watchlist, ETF, sector, industry, market cap, volume, news or earnings, price against the prior day's or 52-week high and low), switch to earlier days, and click a row to see how the stock usually trades in the premarket.
How each list is picked
| List | Ranked by | To be included |
|---|---|---|
| Most Active | Premarket volume, top 50 | More than 500 shares traded, with a premarket price and a previous close |
| Gainers | % change from the previous close, biggest gain first | Up 1% or more, and one of: price $5 or more with 15,000+ shares; price $50 or more with 5,000+ shares; price $1 or more with 500,000+ shares and a gain of at least $1 |
| Decliners | % change from the previous close, biggest drop first | Down 1% or more, with the same price and volume tests |
FAQ
- What are premarket trading hours?
- Our reports treat 6:00 AM to the 9:30 AM opening bell, Eastern time, as the premarket session. Trades in that window count toward premarket volume, not the regular session's.
- Why isn't a stock with a big premarket move on the Gainers list?
- It needs a move of at least 1% and enough premarket volume for its price: 15,000 shares at $5 or more, 5,000 shares at $50 or more, or 500,000 shares and a move of at least $1 at $1 or more. Stocks under $1 don't make the Gainers or Decliners lists.
- When does the report switch to a new day?
- A little after 5:00 AM ET on trading days. Until then, and on weekends and holidays, it shows the last trading day's premarket as of the 9:30 AM open. After the open it keeps that morning's premarket until the next trading day.
- Is the premarket report free?
- Yes, the Most Active, Gainers and Decliners lists are free. Members of any Premium plan can also filter them, switch to earlier days and click a row to see how a stock usually trades in the premarket.
- Does a premarket move predict how the stock trades after the open?
- No. The report shows what has traded so far, not a forecast or a buy or sell signal. A stock's price can keep moving, either way, once the regular session opens.
Related
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Premarket Previous close Opening gap Before the open (BMO)Market Chameleon provides data, not investment advice.