# 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.

**Source:** https://propfirmpal.com/futures/market-hours  
**Generated:** 2026-09-25  
**Publisher:** Prop Firm Pal — independent prop firm comparison

_Prop Firm Pal earns affiliate commission from some listed firms. This is disclosed on-site and does not affect the computed ranking order._

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## CME Globex trading hours by market

| Market | Contracts | Central Time (CT) | Eastern Time (ET) | Breaks |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Equity index | ES, MES, NQ, MNQ, YM, MYM, RTY, M2K | Sun 5:00 pm – Fri 4:00 pm | Sun 6:00 pm – Fri 5:00 pm | 4:00–5:00 pm CT (5:00–6:00 pm ET), Mon–Thu |
| Energy | CL, MCL, QM, NG, MNG | Sun 5:00 pm – Fri 4:00 pm | Sun 6:00 pm – Fri 5:00 pm | 4:00–5:00 pm CT (5:00–6:00 pm ET), Mon–Thu |
| Metals | GC, MGC, SI, SIL, HG | Sun 5:00 pm – Fri 4:00 pm | Sun 6:00 pm – Fri 5:00 pm | 4:00–5:00 pm CT (5:00–6:00 pm ET), Mon–Thu |
| Currencies (FX) | 6E, M6E, 6B, 6J, 6A, 6C | Sun 5:00 pm – Fri 4:00 pm | Sun 6:00 pm – Fri 5:00 pm | 4:00–5:00 pm CT (5:00–6:00 pm ET), Mon–Thu |
| Interest rates | ZT, ZF, ZN, ZB, UB | Sun 5:00 pm – Fri 4:00 pm | Sun 6:00 pm – Fri 5:00 pm | 4:00–5:00 pm CT (5:00–6:00 pm ET), Mon–Thu |
| Grains | ZC, ZS, ZW | Sun–Fri 7:00 pm – 7:45 am, and Mon–Fri 8:30 am – 1:20 pm | Sun–Fri 8:00 pm – 8:45 am, and Mon–Fri 9:30 am – 2:20 pm | 7:45–8:30 am CT, and 1:20–7:00 pm CT |
| Crypto | BTC, MBT, ETH, MET | 24/7 | 24/7 | Mon–Fri 4:00–4:02 pm CT, and Sat 2:00–4:00 am CT |

_Source: [CME Group trading hours](https://www.cmegroup.com/trading-hours.html) and each contract's CME specification, read 2026-09-22. CME sets hours in Chicago time; Eastern Time is always one hour later because both zones change for daylight saving on the same dates._

## Frequently asked questions

### 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 pages

- [Futures contract specs](https://propfirmpal.com/futures/contracts) — markdown: https://propfirmpal.com/futures/contracts.md
- [CME holiday schedule 2026](https://propfirmpal.com/futures/holiday-calendar-2026) — markdown: https://propfirmpal.com/futures/holiday-calendar-2026.md
- [Futures trading hours](https://propfirmpal.com/learn/futures-trading-hours) — markdown: https://propfirmpal.com/learn/futures-trading-hours.md
- [Futures contract month codes](https://propfirmpal.com/learn/futures-contract-month-codes) — markdown: https://propfirmpal.com/learn/futures-contract-month-codes.md
- [Micro vs mini futures](https://propfirmpal.com/learn/micro-vs-mini-futures) — markdown: https://propfirmpal.com/learn/micro-vs-mini-futures.md
- [Futures tick values](https://propfirmpal.com/learn/futures-tick-values) — markdown: https://propfirmpal.com/learn/futures-tick-values.md