FuturesPro is reader-supported and may earn a commission from some links, at no cost to you. This never affects our rankings. Learn more.
Most CME Group futures trade nearly 24 hours a day on the CME Globex electronic platform. Here's how the schedule works, in Eastern Time, plus when volume is highest and how prop firm rules interact with the clock. For a deeper walkthrough, see our lesson on futures market hours.
The weekly schedule
CME Globex trading for most contracts runs from Sunday 6:00 p.m. ET to Friday 5:00 p.m. ET, with a daily break from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET Monday through Thursday.
That gives you five trading sessions a week. Each one starts at 6:00 p.m. ET and ends at 5:00 p.m. ET the following day. So the session that opens Sunday evening is Monday's session, and Thursday evening's open belongs to Friday. Futures are closed from Friday's 5:00 p.m. close until the Sunday evening open.
Confirmed hours by contract
| Contract | Globex hours (ET) |
|---|---|
| ES | Sun–Fri 6:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., break 5:00–6:00 p.m. |
| CL / MCL | Sun–Fri 6:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., 60-minute break from 5:00 p.m. |
| GC | Sun–Fri 6:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., break from 5:00 p.m. |
| 6E | Sun–Fri 6:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., 60-minute break from 5:00 p.m. |
Source: CME Group specifications and fact cards, checked November 3, 2026. Other equity index contracts such as NQ and MES follow a similar nearly-24-hour schedule; confirm on each contract's CME page. Holiday schedules differ.
Why Eastern Time and Central Time both matter
CME Group is based in Chicago, so exchange documents and many prop firm help centers quote times in Central Time (CT). Chicago is one hour behind New York, so the 5:00 p.m. ET break is 4:00 p.m. CT, and the 6:00 p.m. ET open is 5:00 p.m. CT. Both cities switch to and from daylight saving time on the same dates, so that one-hour gap stays fixed. If you trade from outside the US, your local times can shift for a week or two each spring and fall when your country changes its clocks on different dates.
The three sessions
- Overnight (Asia): from the 6:00 p.m. ET open. Usually the quietest period for US index futures, with smaller ranges and thinner order books.
- London: European markets open in the early hours ET, and volume and volatility tend to pick up.
- US regular hours: the US stock market runs from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. ES and NQ see most of their daily volume here, especially in the first hour.
Our lesson on Futures Trading Sessions and When Markets Move covers each session in more depth.
When volume is highest
For US equity index futures, most volume comes during US stock market hours (9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET), especially the open. The overnight session is usually quieter, with activity picking up when European markets open.
Scheduled economic data adds spikes of its own. The US jobs report and the Consumer Price Index are released at 8:30 a.m. ET, an hour before the stock market opens. Federal Reserve rate decisions come out at 2:00 p.m. ET, followed by a press conference at 2:30 p.m. ET. Our economic calendar guide explains each release.
Why the hours matter for your trading
The same strategy can behave very differently at 3:00 a.m. and at 10:00 a.m. ET. A 10-point stop on MES ($50 per contract) might be generous overnight and tight after the US open. Two practical habits help:
- Record the session for every trade in your trading journal, then compare results by session.
- Size positions for the volatility of the hour you trade, using the position size calculator.
Prop firm session rules
Many prop firms require positions to be flat before a set time each day and restrict trading around major news. Check your firm's rules before holding into the 5:00 p.m. break.
For example, Topstep's help center describes a 10-minute window around CPI, the jobs report, PPI and Federal Reserve announcements in which new opening trades in equity index and metals futures are restricted. My Funded Futures requires its Rapid and Pro sim-funded accounts to be flat from two minutes before to two minutes after its listed Tier 1 events. Rules differ by firm and plan, so read them before you trade. Compare firms in our prop firm rankings.
Holidays and contract rolls
US holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas bring early closes or full closures, and CME publishes a holiday calendar each year. Volume also moves between contract months around expiry. See Futures Rollover and Expiration.
Frequently asked questions
Are futures markets open 24 hours a day?
Nearly. Most CME futures trade from Sunday 6:00 p.m. ET to Friday 5:00 p.m. ET with a one-hour break each day from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. ET.
When does the futures week open?
Sunday at 6:00 p.m. ET for most CME Globex contracts. That session counts as Monday's trading day.
Can I trade futures on weekends?
No. Globex closes Friday at 5:00 p.m. ET and reopens Sunday at 6:00 p.m. ET. News over the weekend can cause the Sunday open to gap.
What is the best time to trade ES and NQ?
Volume is usually highest during US stock market hours, especially the first hour after 9:30 a.m. ET. Higher volume tends to mean tighter spreads, but also faster moves.
Do futures hours change with daylight saving time?
Not in US terms. The schedule is set in Chicago time, and ET and CT shift together, so 6:00 p.m. ET stays 6:00 p.m. ET. Traders in other countries may see their local times move.
Compare futures prop firms side by side
Prices, drawdown rules and payouts, verified from official sources.
Futures trading involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for every investor. This article is for education only and is not investment advice.