NQ by time of day: range, highs and lows across 888 sessions
On 888 New York sessions of NQ (9:30 to 16:00, March 2023 to October 2026), the day's high or low formed in the first hour 80.4% of the time. The first half hour set the day's high on 30.1% of sessions and the low on 33.9%, and its 5 minute candles averaged 47.4 points, twice the 23.1 points of midday.
Midday, from about 12:00 to 14:30, was the quietest stretch. The last half hour woke up again: 20.9% of the session's volume and 17.2% of the day's highs. Measured on ChartTrainer's NQ real market days, built from real QQQ trades on the IEX exchange at the NQ price scale.
Published 28 October 2026. 888 New York sessions, March 2023 to October 2026.
The rules of the test
- The data: ChartTrainer's NQ real market days, the same minute candles the app serves, built from real QQQ trades on the IEX exchange and converted to the NQ price scale and tick size.
- The window: New York hours, 9:30 to 16:00, split into 13 half hours. The day's high and low here are the high and low of those hours, not of the full futures session.
- Ranges: the high minus the low of every 5 minute candle (9:30, 9:35 and on) and of every half hour, in NQ points, averaged over all sessions.
- Highs and lows: the half hour in which each session's high and low first printed.
- Volume: QQQ shares traded on IEX in each half hour, as a share of the session's total. IEX is one exchange, so this shows the shape of the day, not NQ contract volume.
- Sessions: every real market day from 28 March 2023 to 26 October 2026, except 10 shortened holiday sessions.
The tables
How far NQ moves in each half hour
| Half hour (ET) | 5 min range | Half hour range | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:30-10:00 | 47.4 | 125.3 | 12.2% |
| 10:00-10:30 | 39.4 | 103.1 | 9.1% |
| 10:30-11:00 | 33.4 | 86.8 | 7.4% |
| 11:00-11:30 | 28.7 | 75.4 | 6.6% |
| 11:30-12:00 | 25.9 | 67.9 | 5.8% |
| 12:00-12:30 | 23.6 | 62.5 | 5.5% |
| 12:30-13:00 | 22.6 | 59.3 | 4.8% |
| 13:00-13:30 | 22.5 | 59.8 | 5.1% |
| 13:30-14:00 | 21.1 | 55.9 | 4.9% |
| 14:00-14:30 | 21.9 | 57.1 | 5.6% |
| 14:30-15:00 | 21.4 | 55.7 | 5.6% |
| 15:00-15:30 | 21.8 | 56.6 | 6.8% |
| 15:30-16:00 | 26.1 | 69.7 | 20.9% |
When the day's high and low formed
| Half hour (ET) | Day high | Day low |
|---|---|---|
| 9:30-10:00 | 30.1% | 33.9% |
| 10:00-10:30 | 7.9% | 11.9% |
| 10:30-11:00 | 5.3% | 6.0% |
| 11:00-11:30 | 5.1% | 4.7% |
| 11:30-12:00 | 3.9% | 5.0% |
| 12:00-12:30 | 4.3% | 3.0% |
| 12:30-13:00 | 2.7% | 3.3% |
| 13:00-13:30 | 3.7% | 3.4% |
| 13:30-14:00 | 3.9% | 3.9% |
| 14:00-14:30 | 3.4% | 3.7% |
| 14:30-15:00 | 5.7% | 3.3% |
| 15:00-15:30 | 6.8% | 4.7% |
| 15:30-16:00 | 17.2% | 13.2% |
The whole session
| Measure | Result |
|---|---|
| Day high or low in the first hour | 80.4% |
| Day high or low in the last hour | 41.7% |
| Opening half hour range, share of the day's range | 46.9% |
| Day range, average | 287.2 points |
| Day range, median | 244.3 points |
The same shape every year
| Year | Sessions | 9:30-10:00 | 12:00-13:00 | 15:30-16:00 | Day range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 189 | 29.6 | 15.0 | 16.7 | 190.1 |
| 2024 | 248 | 36.6 | 19.2 | 24.0 | 244.9 |
| 2025 | 246 | 51.2 | 26.3 | 30.1 | 316.8 |
| 2026 | 205 | 72.2 | 31.5 | 32.5 | 392.4 |
What it means
- The open is where the movement is. The first half hour's 5 minute candles averaged twice the midday ones, and that half hour alone covered 46.9% of the day's range on average. A stop that fits midday is too tight at the open.
- Trade only the first hour and you are trading the part of the session that set the high or the low on 80% of days.
- Midday, from about 12:00 to 14:30, was the quietest stretch: half the opening movement per 5 minutes, and only 3% to 5% of highs and lows per half hour.
- The close came back: the last half hour had the most volume of any half hour and 17.2% of the day's highs, so the final 30 minutes are not a time to stop paying attention.
- Ranges grew with the price: the opening 5 minutes averaged 29.6 points in 2023 and 72.2 in 2026, while the open stayed about twice midday every year. Size stops from recent sessions, not from an old rule of thumb.
Limits
- New York hours only. QQQ rarely trades on IEX outside 9:30 to 16:00, so the overnight and London sessions aren't measured, and the day's high and low here are the New York session's, not the full futures day's.
- Built from QQQ trades at the NQ scale, not CME exchange data. Compared with real NQ futures on 715 sessions, the day's high and low formed within 5 minutes of the real ones 94% of the time.
- Volume is QQQ volume on one exchange, IEX, and is used for the shape of the day only.
- Averages hide big days: on a news day, 5 minutes can move more than a quiet day's hour.
- Past sessions describe what happened, not what will happen next.
How it was measured
- Measured on the same files the app serves for NQ real market days, built from IEX trades. Data provided by IEX.
- A half hour's range is its high minus its low. A 5 minute range is the same for each 5 minute candle starting at 9:30, 9:35 and so on, in NQ points (4 ticks a point).
- ChartTrainer's NQ charts are built from real QQQ trades on the IEX exchange, not CME exchange data. The numbers above are measured on exactly what the app shows.
- No futures exchange data was used for this page.
Practice this in the simulator
Practice the New York open, the midday or the close on NQ real market days, with the date hidden. Pick the window you trade and replay it candle by candle. Practice this in the simulator
Questions
- What is the best time to trade NQ?
- It depends on what you need. Movement was highest in the first half hour, with 5 minute candles averaging 47.4 points against about 23 at midday, and the first hour set the day's high or low on 80% of 888 sessions. More movement also means wider stops and faster mistakes, so practice the window before you trade it.
- When does NQ usually make its high or low of the day?
- In New York hours, most often in the first half hour: the high formed there on 30.1% of sessions and the low on 33.9%. The last half hour came next, with 17.2% of highs and 13.2% of lows. Each midday half hour set only 3% to 5%.
- How much does NQ move in 5 minutes?
- From 9:30 to 10:00, a 5 minute candle averaged 47.4 points (median 39.3) from March 2023 to October 2026. Between 12:00 and 14:30 it averaged about 22 points. In 2026 alone, the opening average was 72.2 points.
- How big is NQ's daily range?
- From 9:30 to 16:00 the range averaged 287.2 points (median 244.3) over 888 sessions, rising from 190.1 points a day in 2023 to 392.4 in 2026.
- Is this real NQ data?
- It is ChartTrainer's NQ real market days: real QQQ trades on the IEX exchange at the NQ scale, which matched real NQ futures closely in a 715 session comparison. It isn't CME exchange data.