I only just recently realized that the question of what time the US stock market opens is actually confusing for a lot of people. I was the same—I figured it out only after trading for a while. In simple terms, regular US stock trading hours are from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM Eastern Time, but they differ quite a bit when converted to Taiwan time.

Since it’s now in winter daylight saving time, the US stock market opens at 10:30 PM Taiwan time and continues trading until 5:00 AM the next day. In summer daylight saving time, it opens one hour earlier, at 9:30 PM. Many people easily get it mixed up, assuming the US market opens during daytime in Taiwan, and end up missing a number of opportunities.

In addition to regular trading hours, there are also pre-market and after-hours trading sessions. Pre-market is from 4:00 AM to 9:30 AM (Eastern Time), and after-hours is from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM; in Taiwan time, those correspond to afternoon and evening, respectively. However, trading volume during pre-market and after-hours is relatively lower and volatility is generally higher, so beginners usually don’t enter positions during these times.

Another thing to note is that the US stock market has many market holidays. For example, this year’s Independence Day on July 4 and Thanksgiving on November 26 will both be market holidays. Some holidays, such as the day before Christmas, also close three hours early. I personally once overlooked the holiday schedule and ended up waiting for the market to open on a day when it was actually closed—it was pretty awkward.

US stocks mainly trade on three venues: the New York Stock Exchange, NASDAQ, and the American Stock Exchange. NASDAQ has more tech stocks—like Apple and Microsoft. But honestly, for investors in Taiwan, as long as you understand what time the US market opens and how to calculate the time difference, the details of the specific exchanges don’t matter much.

If you want to start trading US stocks as well, remember to first figure out the time difference so you don’t end up losing sleep late at night just waiting for the market to open. You can deposit and open an account with as little as $50, and it supports transfers in New Taiwan Dollars, which is quite convenient.