Questrade offers extended-hours trading that includes pre-market sessions for U.S. listed stocks and ETFs.
The pre-market session typically starts around 4:00 a.m. Eastern Time (ET) and runs up to the regular open at 9:30 a.m. ET.
To participate, you’ll need to:
• Place a limit order (market orders aren’t allowed during extended hours)
• Use an order duration that covers extended hours (e.g., GTEM) so your order is active during pre-market and regular sessions.
This gives you the ability to react to news, earnings, or market events before the standard trading session begins.
Pre-market trading is not available for Canadian securities on Questrade.
For Canadian stocks/ETFs (e.g., TSX or TSXV listings), only very limited post-market trading exists between about 4:15 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. ET, and there are specific rules about order types and lot sizes if you participate.
Extended/pre-market trading generally has lower liquidity and higher volatility, so spreads can be wider and executions less certain than during regular hours.
Only limit orders are supported in pre-market sessions to protect against rapid price moves.
Options and fractional shares aren’t typically tradable during pre-market hours.
DAY
➡️ Active only during regular market hours (9:30 am–4:00 pm ET). If it doesn’t fill by market close, it’s cancelled.
(Default for most simple orders.)
GTC — Good ’Til Canceled
➡️ Stays active day-to-day until the order fills or you manually cancel it.
• Questrade limits how long it can remain active (usually up to ~90 days).
GTD — Good ’Til Date
➡️ Same idea as GTC, but you choose a specific expiration date.
• Order cancels automatically if not filled by that date (up to ~90 days max).
GTEM — Good ’Til Extended Market
➡️ Keeps your order active through pre-market + regular + post-market sessions (roughly 4:00 am–8:00 pm ET for U.S. securities).
• If not filled by the end of extended hours, it’s cancelled.
OVERNIGHT
➡️ Active only during overnight trading (about 8:00 pm–2:00 am ET for U.S. stocks).
• If not filled by session end, it’s cancelled.
(Available mainly on Questrade Edge platforms)
IOC — Immediate Or Cancel
➡️ Tries to fill immediately.
• Any unfilled portion cancels right away.
FOK — Fill Or Kill
➡️ Must fill in full immediately or the entire order is cancelled.
• Useful when you need a specific size executed at once.