Premarket
Definition
In finance, the period of electronic trading activity that occurs before the official opening of a stock exchange's regular trading session, typically from 4:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. ET for U.S. markets.
As an adjective, referring to prices, orders, or activity occurring prior to the market's official open, often indicating early investor sentiment.
Examples
The sleepy trader caught a premarket spike in meme stocks, turning his morning yawn into a victory grin.
Premarket whispers of a merger had Wall Street's caffeine addicts glued to their screens before dawn.
She ignored her alarm for premarket trading, only to wake up rich—or broke—in the glow of her phone.
Premarket hours are like the stock market's awkward pregame: full of wild swings and zero regrets yet.