After-Hours (AH)

After-hours trading refers to buying and selling stocks outside of the regular market hours (typically 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM ET for U.S. markets). This trading period occurs in pre-market (before the market opens) and after-market (after it closes), allowing investors to react to news, earnings reports, or global events. However, after-hours generally (but not always) has lower liquidity and wider bid-ask spreads, making price movements more volatile compared to regular trading hours. Depending on timing, sometimes earnings reports can also affect after-hours liquidity.