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Futures market hours
When CME futures open and close, in Central and Eastern Time — and whether each market is open right now, in your time zone.
What are futures market hours?
Most CME futures — equity index (ES, NQ), crude oil, gold, currencies and Treasuries — trade on CME Globex from 5:00 pm CT (6:00 pm ET) Sunday to 4:00 pm CT (5:00 pm ET) Friday, with a one-hour break every weekday from 4:00 to 5:00 pm CT. Grains trade two sessions a day, and CME crypto futures now trade 24/7 apart from short maintenance windows.
Is the futures market open now?
Regular CME Globex schedule, checked in your browser. Holidays are flagged when they apply.
Checking the time in your browser…
Equity index
ES · NQ · YM · RTY
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Status loads in your browser
Energy
CL · NG
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Status loads in your browser
Metals
GC · SI · HG
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Status loads in your browser
Currencies
6E · 6B · 6J
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Status loads in your browser
Treasuries
ZN · ZB · ZF
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Status loads in your browser
Grains
ZC · ZS · ZW
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Status loads in your browser
Crypto
BTC · ETH
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Status loads in your browser
Futures trading hours by market
CME Globex hours. CME sets them in Chicago time; ET is always one hour later.
Market
Contracts
Central Time (CT)
Eastern Time (ET)
Breaks
Source: CME Group trading hours and each contract’s CME specification, read 2026-09-22.
Futures hours in your time zone
The weekly landmarks, converted by your browser — including daylight saving on both sides.
Weekly open (Sunday 5:00 pm CT)
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Daily break starts (4:00 pm CT)
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Daily reopen (5:00 pm CT)
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Weekly close (Friday 4:00 pm CT)
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US stock market open (8:30 am CT)
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US stock market close (3:00 pm CT)
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Gold and crude oil trading hours
Gold (GC, MGC) and crude oil (CL, MCL) keep the same Globex hours as the index futures: Sunday 5:00 pm to Friday 4:00 pm CT, with a one-hour break each weekday from 4:00 pm CT. As with every futures market, volume is heaviest during US daytime hours and thinnest in the late evening and around the break.
Grains are the exception to the 23-hour schedule: corn, soybeans and wheat trade an overnight session from 7:00 pm to 7:45 am CT and a day session from 8:30 am to 1:20 pm CT.
Market hours at prop firms
Futures prop firms add their own time rules on top of the exchange’s: a cut-off before the daily close by which positions must be flat, no holding over the weekend, and restrictions around major news. The times differ by firm, so read the firm’s rules page — or compare futures prop firms side by side. Holidays move the exchange close too: see the CME holiday schedule for 2026.
Spot forex keeps its own clock — Sunday 5:00 pm to Friday 5:00 pm ET, through the Sydney, Tokyo, London and New York sessions — an hour ahead of CME currency futures on Sunday and with no daily break. See forex market hours for which sessions are open now, and the 2026 stock market holidays for the days the NYSE and Nasdaq close.
FAQs — futures market hours
Hours checked 2026-09-22 against CME Group.
What time does the futures market open on Sunday?
CME Globex opens for the week at 5:00 pm CT (6:00 pm ET) on Sunday for equity index, energy, metals, currency and Treasury futures. Grains open at 7:00 pm CT.
What time do futures close on Friday?
Globex futures close for the weekend at 4:00 pm CT (5:00 pm ET) on Friday. Grains close at 1:20 pm CT.
Are futures markets open 24 hours?
Nearly. Globex futures trade 23 hours a day, Sunday evening to Friday afternoon, pausing from 4:00 to 5:00 pm CT each weekday. CME crypto futures (BTC, ETH and their micros) trade 24/7 apart from a two-minute pause at 4:00 pm CT on weekdays and a Saturday 2:00–4:00 am CT maintenance window.
What are gold futures trading hours?
Gold futures (GC and MGC) trade on CME Globex Sunday to Friday, 5:00 pm to 4:00 pm CT (6:00 pm to 5:00 pm ET), with a 60-minute break each day beginning at 4:00 pm CT.
What are crude oil futures trading hours?
Crude oil futures (CL, MCL and QM) trade on CME Globex Sunday to Friday, 5:00 pm to 4:00 pm CT (6:00 pm to 5:00 pm ET), with a 60-minute break each day beginning at 4:00 pm CT.
Do futures hours change with daylight saving time?
Not in US time. CME sets its hours in Chicago time and the US zones change on the same dates, so the hours stay 5:00 pm – 4:00 pm CT and 6:00 pm – 5:00 pm ET all year. In Europe, Asia and Australia the local times shift, including for a few weeks each spring and autumn when the US and Europe change clocks on different dates.
Are futures open on holidays?
Often on a shortened session. Most US holidays bring an early halt rather than a full closure, and a few — Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day — close the day session. The 2026 CME holiday calendar lists each one.
Related reference
More futures reference, and where these rules meet prop firm terms.
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