Important Times During the Trading Day

9:30 AM - 9:45 AM

Market Opens. Stocks can be highly manipulated during the open as overnight orders are filled and the market makers and specialists load or unload inventory for the trading day.

9:55 AM - 10:05 AM

First and most reliable stall or reversal period of the day.

10:25 AM - 10:30 AM

Stall or reversal period

11:15 AM - 11:30 AM

Major reversal period that is usually longer than the previous two reversal periods and tends to stop the prevailing trend in a stock's price. This period also signals the beginning of the mid-day doldrums.

12:00 PM - 12:15 PM

This is a less common reversal period than the other three reversal periods. It usually occurs on days when the morning has been quiet. There are usually small reversals to the up-side.

2:15 PM - 2:30 PM

This reversal period ends the mid-day doldrums and kicks-off the afternoon session. Stock prices heading down into this reversal period will usually head back up. Beware of the potential NASDAQ suck-down (a spike down in a stock's price that occurs when a stock has been in a great upward trend for three to four weeks and is running out of gas), however.

3:00 PM

Close of the bond market (and thus bond prices no longer influence stock prices). Fourth reversal period of the day.

3:25 PM - 3:35 PM (+/- 5 minutes)

Fifth reversal period of the day that usually occurs when the market has been consolidating (trading sideways) or trending downward. Last chance for day traders to take a position. During earnings season, big bursts of buying often occur at this time.

4:00 PM

Market closes.