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Options 101
Do SPY Options Trade After Hours?
The stock market closes at 4pm, but SPY’s story doesn’t — and for an expiring option, what happens after the bell can still matter.
NoVo Options Trading · 2026
Educational only, not tax, legal, or financial advice. Rules vary by broker and situation — verify specifics with your broker or a professional.
SPY options have limited extended-hours trading, and after-hours moves in SPY can still affect whether an expiring option finishes ITM or OTM. Here’s what to know outside regular hours.
The extended-hours reality
Most options liquidity is in regular hours (9:30–4:00 ET). There is some extended options trading on expiration days (SPY options can trade a bit past 4pm), but it’s thinner and not the deep, all-hours market you get in SPY shares or /ES futures. For practical scalping, treat options as a regular-hours instrument.
Why after-hours still matters
Even if you’re not trading options after 4pm, SPY’s after-hours price can move the settlement of an expiring option — an option OTM at 4pm can drift ITM in post-close trading and get auto-exercised (the penny-ITM trap). This is a real reason to close positions before the bell rather than assuming a 4pm OTM means safe.
SPY options are a daytime instrument — but the after-hours move in SPY can still decide an expiring option’s fate. Close before the bell to be sure.
What it means for a scalper
Trade SPY options in regular hours, and close before expiration so after-hours settlement drift can’t surprise you. If you want true 24-hour S&P exposure, that’s /ES futures, a different instrument. For NoVo’s SPY 0DTE approach, the regular session is the arena.
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NoVo is a software tool for market analysis and for executing trades you initiate, not financial advice. This article is general education, not investment advice. Options trading involves substantial risk of loss, up to and including your entire capital. NoVo makes no guarantee of profit, win rate, or performance, and past results do not predict future outcomes. You are responsible for your own broker account, configuration, and trading decisions.