How to Sell Stocks After Hours
The normal hours of operation for the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the NASDAQ is Monday to Friday (excluding holidays), from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST (Eastern Standard Time). This is when a majority of the day's transactions take place. However, when the bell rings at 4 p.m. to signal the end of the day, it's still possible to buy or sell stocks after hours. While originally intended for money managers and institutional clients, private clients can also trade after hours.
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Instructions
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Open a trading account with a full-service or discount broker that offers after-hours trading. Not all brokerage houses offer this service. Private client after-hour trading still tends to be a small percentage of daily business--as a result, not all brokerage houses offer the service.
Once you find a discount or full-service broker that does offer the service, compare transaction fees for after-hours trading compared to regular trading. To open your account, you will need to complete and sign online and paper forms, as well as a short questionnaire about your knowledge of the stock market. This helps the brokerage house assess your understanding of the risks associated with the stock market.
Once your account is open, deposit the stocks you want to sell into your account.
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Evaluate the risks of after-hours trading compared to regular trading. The volume of shares traded after hours is very small compared to a regular session. As such, there may not be as many buyers for your stocks at the price you want to trade them at.
When trading after hours, always use a “limit order” where you stipulate the price you want to sell at. If you sell using a “market order” in thin volume, there is a chance that you could sell at a much lower price than you want to.
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Place your sell order by completing the transaction online or over the phone with your broker. Indicate the name of the company you are selling, the number of shares you want to sell, and the price you want to sell them at. Confirm the order online or over the phone with your broker, then place the order.
Once the order is filled, you will receive a confirmation from your broker. The proceeds from the sale, less commissions, will be deposited into your account within two to three business days.
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