Can I trade indices outside exchange hours in Australia?
Verdict
- Partly: index CFDs are often quoted beyond the underlying exchange's cash session, and Pepperstone, our pick in Australia, also lists perpetual CFDs on NAS100 and US500 that trade 24/7, though its Australian pages do not say whether retail clients can trade them.
- Pepperstone does not publish its index CFD trading hours on the fee pages we used, so check each symbol's hours in the platform before planning around them.
- For round-the-clock single-stock exposure, Pepperstone offers more than 100 US share CFDs that trade 24 hours a day, five days a week.
- Out-of-hours prices are thinner: spreads can be wider and gaps larger, and Pepperstone offers no guaranteed stops.
The ASX trades in Australian business hours and Wall Street through the Australian night, but news arrives around the clock. Whether you can act on it depends on the contract, not the exchange. Here is what is confirmed at Pepperstone, what is not, and the questions to ask.
What Pepperstone offers beyond the cash session
Three products are relevant. Index CFDs such as AUS200, US500 and NAS100 are Pepperstone's own contracts on the index price; their trading hours appear in each symbol's specification in the platform. Perpetual CFDs, a product Pepperstone launched in 2026, trade 24/7 and include NAS100 and US500, with a commission of 0.015% per side and a funding rate set weekly; the Australian pages do not state whether retail clients are eligible, so confirm that first. And 24-hour US share CFDs, marked with a '-24' suffix, cover more than 100 US stocks around the clock on weekdays. All are issued in Australia by Pepperstone Group Limited under AFSL 414530.
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Confirmed, unconfirmed and how to check
| Product | Published hours | Status for Australian retail clients | How to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Index CFDs (AUS200, US500, NAS100 and others) | Not in the fee tables | Available | Symbol specification in the platform |
| Perpetual CFDs (NAS100, US500) | 24/7 | Not stated | Ask Pepperstone support |
| 24-hour US share CFDs | 24 hours, 5 days | Available | Look for the '-24' suffix |
| Crypto CFDs | 24/7 | Available, 1:2 retail leverage on BTC/USD and ETH/USD | Crypto market pages |
What changes when the exchange is shut
When the underlying market is closed, a CFD price is typically derived from related instruments such as futures, rather than from the shares in the index. Liquidity is thinner, so spreads tend to sit above the published averages, which are measured across all hours. Pepperstone's AUS200 averages 1.5 points against a 1-point minimum; the difference hints at how much the quote moves through the day. A stop can also be filled at a worse level if prices jump between sessions.
A practical approach from Australia
- Keep your main index trades inside the busiest session for that index: Sydney hours for AUS200, the Australian night for US500 and NAS100.
- Use out-of-hours access to manage risk, such as cutting a position on late news, rather than to open new size.
- Before relying on perpetuals at weekends, get written confirmation that your account can trade them.
- If you need a guaranteed exit price through a gap, Capital.com (AFSL 513393) offers guaranteed stop-losses; Pepperstone does not.
Sources
Can I trade the AUS200 after the ASX closes?
Check the AUS200 trading hours in your platform's symbol specification; Pepperstone's fee tables do not list them, and session breaks can apply.
Are Pepperstone's perpetual CFDs open to Australian retail clients?
The Australian pages do not say. In the UK they are restricted to professional clients, so confirm your eligibility with Pepperstone.
Are spreads wider outside exchange hours?
Usually, because fewer participants are quoting. Expect to pay more than the published averages in quiet periods.
Trading outside main market hours adds liquidity and gap risk to products that are already leveraged and high risk. Check the PDS and your platform's symbol specifications. Not investment advice.