Where the market stands before the bell, against yesterday's levels.
From 04:00 ET the PREMARKET drawer estimates the index from its stand-in ETF and yesterday's closing ratio, and sets it against yesterday's flip, call wall and put wall, with how much of the average daily range the night has used. The premarket candles sit left of 09:30 on the same chart.
LIVE only.
Open the terminalIn the LIVE guide
Why: the market's position against yesterday's flip and walls before the index trades. Where: LIVE from 04:00 ET until the open: the PREMARKET drawer above READOUTS, and the premarket candles left of 09:30.
How to use it
- Open the terminal in LIVE from 04:00 ET: the PREMARKET drawer opens above READOUTS for the market on the chart.
- Read the estimate: where the market stands now and its change against the close, with the source and how old it is.
- Read the levels: yesterday's flip, call wall and put wall, each with the signed distance from the estimate, in the market's own points.
- Read ATR used: how much of the average daily range the move since the close has used.
- Pan the chart left: the premarket from 20:00 ET the evening before sits in 5-minute candles left of 09:30. LAYERS > SESSION > PM draws its high and low.
How to read it
- Every number says est. or, for a ticker's own price, ref.: none is an official print.
- A jump is read against its cause: an 8:30 CPI or payrolls is marked.
Settings and controls
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| the estimate | Where the market stands now, its change against the close, the source and its age |
| the levels | Yesterday's flip, call wall and put wall with the signed distance from the estimate |
| ATR used | The move since the close against the mean true range of the last 14 sessions, with the night's range |
| releases | The morning's scheduled releases before 09:30 marked on the premarket charts |
| the chart | Premarket from 20:00 ET in 5-minute candles, left of 09:30 on the same time axis |
What it measures
The index does not trade yet, so its price is an estimate: the live price of a stand-in ETF times yesterday's closing ratio between the two. SPX and ES come from SPY, NQ from QQQ, gold (GC) from GLD and crude (CL) from USO; ES and NQ then go through the basis measured from the index options, and on the morning a stock goes ex-dividend the dividend is added back. A ticker shows its own price; an index goes through its ETF (NDX via QQQ, RUT via IWM).
Limits
Part of LIVE, and on the screen only: no file, API, alert or ASK answer carries a premarket number. A replay has no premarket.
Related
Questions
- Is the premarket price an official print?
- No. Every number is an estimate (est.) or a ticker's own reference price (ref.), labelled as such.
- Which ETF stands in for each market?
- SPY for SPX and ES, QQQ for NQ, GLD for gold and USO for crude. NDX goes through QQQ and RUT through IWM.
- Can I get an alert on the premarket?
- No. Premarket numbers stay on the screen: no file, API, alert or ASK answer carries one.
- Is it on a finished session?
- No. The premarket is LIVE only.