Cboe Global Markets is set to expand trading hours for options on 24 of the most actively traded stocks and five major ETFs, beginning Monday, October 15, 2026. This move follows regulatory approval from the SEC and the Options Clearing Corp., allowing trading between 7:30 a.m. and 9:25 a.m. ET, as well as from 4:00 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. ET, for these securities [1]. The expansion is part of Cboe's ongoing efforts to move toward around-the-clock trading, building on the popularity of pre- and post-market index options trading, which saw a record average of 228,097 options traded daily in the pre-market session last quarter [1].
The initial list of eligible securities includes the so-called Magnificent Seven stocks, major tech companies such as Oracle and Micron, and popular retail-trading names like Robinhood, Nokia, and Palantir. Pfizer and Alibaba are also included. The ETF options available during the extended hours are the State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY), Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ), iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM), SPDR Gold Shares (GLD), and the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) [1].
To qualify for the extended hours, underlying securities must have an average daily options volume of at least 150,000 contracts over the preceding six months, a market value of $50 billion, and an average daily share volume of at least 10 million. SpaceX does not yet meet these criteria [1]. Brokers such as TradeStation and Robinhood Markets have announced they will offer trading during these new sessions [1].
Cboe executives and industry participants highlighted the benefits of the expansion. Rob Hocking, Cboe's global head of derivatives, emphasized the growing adoption and innovation in the options market, while TradeStation CEO John Bartleman noted that the new hours provide traders with greater flexibility to respond to market-moving events as they happen [1]. Noel Smith, CIO of Convex Asset Management, commented that extended trading hours make sense from a volatility perspective [1].
The extended hours are part of a broader series of market structure changes, including the planned listing of additional morning expiries for options on November 9 and recent SEC approval for Cboe to offer binary options tied to company-specific key performance indicators (KPIs) [1].
CONCLUSION
Cboe's expansion of options trading hours for major stocks and ETFs marks a significant step toward greater market accessibility and flexibility for investors. With strong support from brokers and positive industry commentary, the move is expected to enhance trading opportunities and responsiveness to market events. The initiative signals ongoing innovation in the options market structure.