Who Is Active in Pre-market Trading?
Who is Trading in Pre Market?
Many brokerage firms offer their clients the option of trading stocks outside normal market hours. This trading, also known as pre-market trading or after-hours trading, has both advantages and disadvantages.
Premarket trading allows you to react to big news events like corporate earning announcements before the market opens. However, this trading can also lead to large bid-ask spreads due to limited liquidity.
Institutional Investors
Institutional investors are entities that trade in large volumes and typically have a variety of investment products. These include pension funds, mutual funds, insurance companies and hedge funds. They can also include commercial investment banks and private equity firms. These institutions hire finance and investment professionals to manage large sums of money on behalf of their clients and members.
Some investors use premarket trading to react to overnight news that might impact the market and individual stocks when regular trading begins. This can include corporate earnings reports, overnight economic data and geopolitical developments. Because of limited trading volume, however, price moves in the pre-market may not be a precursor to similar movements when the markets open.
Another benefit of pre-market trading is strategic timing. Sometimes a company makes a major market announcement before the regular trading session starts, and an impulsive reaction can send a stock sharply up or down. A more measured response during pre-market can help ensure the company’s share price doesn’t move too far against its long-term view of the market.
Professional Traders
In premarket trading, seasoned traders have an edge. They know the many nuances of trading that are present during extended hours, including assessing pre-market reaction to news and taking action based on it. They also understand that the light volume during premarket can make it difficult to exit a position without significant slippage (the difference between the price at which you can buy a stock and the price at which you can sell it).
Investors who want to react quickly to news or earnings announcements may choose to trade stocks during this time. But it’s important to keep in mind that large bid-ask spreads are common due to limited trading volume and liquidity. It’s also possible to misjudge market sentiment. For example, if the initial reaction to a news event goes against your interpretation and long-term outlook for a stock, it can have serious consequences when the markets reopen. Also, some brokers charge extra commission for trading during these extended hours.
Market Makers
Market makers operate within exchanges and compete with each other to attract orders by offering bid and ask prices. They also help ensure liquidity for the markets they serve by matching buyers and sellers. They can be found in stock, Forex and crypto trading markets.
Premarket trading is an opportunity for investors to react to breaking news like corporate earning announcements, press releases or rumors. It’s important to understand the potential risks of trading in this time period — it can be volatile and you may not have enough liquidity to make a profitable trade.
In addition, there’s a risk that you could misjudge sentiment by taking a position before the market opens. If you do that and the market moves against you, your account can blow up quickly. Understanding market maker signals can help you avoid these pitfalls. Those that can read these signals will have a leg up on the competition. The key is understanding how to read these signals, which include buy signals, hold signals, up signals and down signals.
Retail Traders
Retail traders are individuals who trade in the stock market for a living. They usually focus on smaller-cap stocks and aim to diversify their portfolios by buying a variety of securities. They may also be interested in trading currencies or commodities.
Individual retail traders do not trade in volume large enough to move market prices. But aggregated retail orders can have a significant effect. For example, if a retailer announces disappointing earnings results, it might cause the stock to drop.
Traders often monitor premarket activity to see how the market is reacting before standard trading hours begin. This can give them an edge if they anticipate how the rest of the market will respond to news events such as earnings reports, foreign developments, and economic data. However, there are several risks to trading in the premarket, including lower liquidity and the potential to misjudge sentiment. This makes it important for retail traders to develop a strong trading plan and stay disciplined.
Read More