Market Session Basics: RTH vs Globex and Why It Matters
Market session basics are critical because the futures market does not behave the same 24 hours a day. Liquidity, volatility, spreads, and order flow shift massively between RTH (Regular Trading Hours) and Globex. If you treat them the same, you’re trading blind.
What Is RTH?
RTH (Regular Trading Hours) is when the stock market is open:
- 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM ET
- Highest volume of the day
- Thickest liquidity
- Tightest spreads
RTH is where most institutional flow happens. It’s also where your market breadth basics actually matter, because internals only update during RTH.
What Is Globex?
Globex is the extended-hours futures session:
- Trades almost 24 hours a day
- Lower volume
- Thinner liquidity
- More random spikes and stop sweeps
Globex is where the majority of retail gets trapped by thin liquidity and fake moves.
RTH vs Globex: Key Differences
| Feature | RTH | Globex |
|---|---|---|
| Liquidity | Thick | Thin |
| Volatility | Structured | Random spikes |
| Order Flow | Institutional-driven | Retail-heavy |
| Slippage | Lower | Higher |
| Market Profile | Clean distributions | Fragmented and noisy |
Understanding these differences pairs perfectly with market profile basics and market auction basics.
How Price Behaves Differently in Each Session
In RTH, price tends to respect structure. In Globex, price tends to do whatever it wants because there's barely any size on the book.
- RTH → trend days, clean rotations, real breakouts
- Globex → false breaks, liquidity grabs, random sweeps
Globex moves are often “corrected” in RTH because Globex lacks true participation.
News and Session Interaction
Big catalysts hit different depending on the session:
- Globex news → exaggerated moves, thin liquidity
- RTH news → real moves with real volume
This ties directly into how economic reports affect futures.
When You Should Avoid Trading Globex
Simple rule for beginners: if you don’t understand how thin markets behave, skip Globex entirely.
- Stop hunts are more frequent
- Bid–ask spreads widen
- Slippage spikes
- Moves reverse without warning
Most traders lose in Globex because they misinterpret thin liquidity as trend.
RTH Is Where the Real Market Shows Up
If you want cleaner structure, truer breakout behavior, and better fills, trade RTH. Globex has its uses, but it's a different beast. Respect the session and your trading improves instantly.