# Extended options sessions arrive on NYSE American for major ETFs and megacaps

URL: https://www.financialadvsr.com/article/extended-options-sessions-arrive-on-nyse-american-for-major-etfs-and-21cb47
Published: October 20, 2026
By: Grant Whitmore, Moves Correspondent
Section: Moves
Publisher: Financial ADVSR (https://www.financialadvsr.com)

NYSE American Options began early and late trading sessions on Oct. 19, giving advisors a longer window to manage client risk, InvestmentNews reported.

InvestmentNews reported on Oct. 20 that NYSE American Options has begun extended trading hours for a set of options, giving advisors a longer window to manage client risk. According to a press release the New York Stock Exchange, part of Intercontinental Exchange, issued through Business Wire, the launch took effect on Oct. 19, 2026. The new sessions sit on either side of the regular trading day.

The early session runs from 7:30 to 9:25 a.m. ET and the late session from 4:00 to 4:15 p.m. ET, according to the exchange's release distributed by PR Newswire. The core session of 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. is unchanged. An exchange fact sheet cited by Securities.io says the 6:00 to 7:30 a.m. window is reserved for connectivity and order entry. Securities.io also reported that market orders are not accepted in the extended sessions.

The initial eligible list covers options on SPY, IWM and GLD, along with options on Apple, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Alphabet, Amazon and Oracle, according to the exchange's investor relations release. Some secondary coverage has described broader symbol lists that include other large companies. Those lists conflict with the official release, so this article follows the release.

The rule change was approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission on Aug. 28, 2026, under Release No. 34-106218 and File No. SR-NYSEAMER-2026-34, according to the SEC filing. NYSE American had filed the proposal on June 5, 2026, as shown in a Federal Register notice. The rules adopted are new Rule 901.1NY on trading sessions, new Rule 901.2NY on extended hours trading, and an amendment to Rule 952NYP covering the early-session auction. The SEC release allows the exchange to designate up to 100 equity option classes for extended hours.

Eligibility depends on three thresholds: 150,000 average daily contracts for the option class, a $50 billion market capitalization for the underlying equity, and 10 million shares of average daily volume for the underlying. These figures are listing criteria, not prices or assets under management. Securities.io reported that eligibility will be reviewed twice a year, after Jan. 1 and July 1, and that newly qualifying options can start trading in extended hours on Feb. 1 or Aug. 1.

Securities.io, which walked through the rulebook, reported that ATP Holders are required to warn clients about the risks of extended-hours trading, such as thinner liquidity, sharp price swings and wider bid-ask gaps, before they can take customer orders for those sessions. According to Securities.io, the Commission's order said the framework broadly aligns with the extended-hours approvals granted to Cboe on May 28, 2026 and to Nasdaq MRX on June 26, 2026. Finance Magnates reported that Cboe's eligible options made up about 53% of average daily US-listed options volume over the first nine months of 2026. CNBC reported that Cboe launched comparable extended sessions the same day.

Intercontinental Exchange, which owns the New York Stock Exchange, was founded on May 11, 2000, and is headquartered in Atlanta, according to Wikipedia. Jeffrey Sprecher chairs and leads the company. ICE's annual filing with the SEC records that it completed its acquisition of NYSE Holdings on Nov. 13, 2013. Wikipedia reports that ICE generated about US$9.9 billion in 2025 revenue, with its exchanges division accounting for 55% of net revenues. That figure is revenue, not assets under management.

CNBC reported that NYSE will move to 23-hour trading, five days a week, in the same names starting Dec. 6, 2026. In the launch announcement, NYSE Chief Product Officer Kevin Tyrrell said the same approach is coming to equities in December. For advisors, the immediate question is how these windows will be used in practice, given the wider spreads and lower liquidity that the required risk disclosures describe.

Key facts:
- Extended sessions launched Oct. 19, 2026, per NYSE's Business Wire release.
- Early session: 7:30 to 9:25 a.m. ET. Late session: 4:00 to 4:15 p.m. ET, per PR Newswire.
- SEC approved the rule change on Aug. 28, 2026 under Release No. 34-106218.
- Up to 100 equity option classes may be designated for extended hours under the rule.
- Eligibility thresholds: 150,000 average daily contracts, $50 billion market cap and 10 million shares average daily volume.

Why it matters: Extended sessions give advisors a way to act on client positions before the open or after the close, but the required disclosures about lower liquidity, volatility and wider spreads signal that execution quality can differ from the core session. Firms that run options desks or approve client options trading will need to update disclosures and supervision procedures before accepting extended-hours orders.

Sources:
- InvestmentNews: https://www.investmentnews.com/equities/nyse-american-options-launches-extended-trading-hours-for-spy-nvda-and-peers/268660
- businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261019056192/en/NYSE-Introduces-Extended-Trading-Hours-for-NYSE-American-Options
- prnewswire.com: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nyse-american-options-begin-extended-trading-hours-nyse-content-update-302912623.html
- ir.theice.com: https://ir.theice.com/press/news-details/2026/NYSE-Introduces-Extended-Trading-Hours-for-NYSE-American-Options/default.aspx
- cnbc.com: https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2026/10/19/nyse-extends-options-trading-hours.html
- securities.io: https://www.securities.io/nyse-american-options-add-early-and-late-trading-sessions/
- financemagnates.com: https://www.financemagnates.com/institutional-forex/cboe-and-nyse-roll-out-pre-market-trading-for-key-stock-options/