Longbridge Launches First Pre-Market US Options Trading

The newly launched pre-market options trading is available from 4:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time, a direct challenge to the standard 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. window that has long constrained traders in Asian and European time zones. This 5.5-hour extension allows investors to react to overnight news and corporate earnings before the regular market opens. For investors in Singapore, this translates to more accessible trading hours of 5:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. SGT. While extended-hours trading for stocks has become more common, with brokerages like Interactive Brokers and Charles Schwab offering 24/5 access for equities, this move into U.S. options is a first for retail investors. Previously, such early access was largely the domain of institutional and professional traders. The initial launch includes options on highly liquid stocks and ETFs, such as QQQ, SPY, AAPL, NVDA, and TSLA, with plans to expand the list. This initiative is part of a broader industry trend toward all-hours trading, fueled by global demand for more flexible market access. Singapore-based Longbridge, which was founded in 2019, has positioned itself as an AI-driven brokerage, investing heavily in its technology. The company reports using a proprietary cloud-native system to support fast execution speeds and high scalability. The service is integrated with Longbridge's existing platform, which includes an AI assistant named PortAI, designed to provide market analysis and interpret data for investors. To encourage adoption, Longbridge is initially waiving commission and platform fees for this new pre-market options trading. However, trading in pre-market sessions carries distinct risks. These include significantly lower liquidity and potentially higher volatility compared to regular trading hours. The wider bid-ask spreads can increase transaction costs, and there is no guarantee that orders will be fully executed.