Independent brokerage adds pre-market equity options access through Cboe, covering 29 underlyings at launch
Canadian self-directed investors can now trade equity options before the opening bell, as Questrade becomes one of the first domestic brokerages to offer extended hours access to a product category that has historically been locked to regular market hours.
The firm announced that it is introducing pre-market and post-market trading for equity options, enabling clients to respond to earnings, economic data, and breaking news before the market opens.
The move makes Questrade one of the first Canadian brokerages to offer the capability, and the firm is also expanding its index options trading hours. It removes a longstanding structural constraint, the inability to act on market-moving information outside the 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET window.
A gap that options traders have long felt
Until now, Canadians who wanted to respond to an after-hours earnings report or pre-dawn economic release had limited options including trading the underlying stock in the pre-market session - when fewer buyers and sellers can make it harder to get the price they want - or wait for the regular session open, when prices can already have moved sharply. Pre-market options give traders another way to respond, and clients who buy them can act on news with their risk defined up front.
"Markets don't only react between business hours, and our clients shouldn't have to either," said Hwan Kim, Chief Product Officer at Questrade. "Investors are increasingly adopting options as a tool to execute on their investment goals, and pre-market options give them more flexibility to act on news on their own terms."
However, the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) is urging investors across Canada to fully understand the risks of trading outside regular market hours before placing any orders during extended sessions.
What's available and how it works
Equity options pre-market trading runs from 7:30 a.m. to 9:25 a.m. ET and post-market from 4:00 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. ET, covering 29 eligible underlyings at launch including SPY, QQQ, AAPL, NVDA, TSLA, and MSFT.
Index options are also now available during pre-market (7:30 a.m. to 9:25 a.m. ET) and post-market (4:15 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET) sessions, covering SPX, SPXW, RUT, RUTW, VIX, VIXW, and XSP. Also available are extended and overnight sessions for eligible U.S. stocks and ETFs, and a post-market session for TSX- and TSXV-listed securities.
The extended hours are enabled through Questrade's partnership with Cboe Global Markets, which launched pre- and post-market trading sessions for select U.S.-listed equity options on October 19, 2026.
Cboe requires limit orders in these sessions - a condition that applies across the platform and is designed to manage the lower liquidity and wider bid-ask spreads typical of off-hours trading. Options trading in extended sessions is available only to Questrade clients approved for options trading.
Advisors should communicate these mechanics clearly to clients considering off-hours options activity. Extended hours trading involves lower trading volumes, wider bid-ask spreads, and greater price volatility, and orders may not fill if the limit price is unavailable.
Competitive context in Canada
Interactive Brokers confirmed that Cboe's extended trading hours are also available to its Canadian clients. Questrade, however, is positioning the offering as a differentiator - noting on its platform that pre-market equity options access is available free to clients, while describing it as not available on other platforms.
The announcement follows a year in which Questrade has moved aggressively to expand its product suite. Earlier in 2026, the brokerage introduced zero per-contract fees on U.S.-listed equity options and launched Pre-IPO access, making it Canada's first self-directed brokerage to offer retail investors the ability to invest in private companies before they go public.
The extended hours options capability is accessible now through Questrade's website and mobile app for all approved options clients.
