To begin with, after-hours trading allows you to trade at any time. Therefore, you can trade whenever it is convenient for you or in response to breaking news.

Several public companies publish their quarterly profits after the NYSE closes at 4 p.m. Eastern Time. Consequently, investors may trade as soon as a company releases its earnings. Investors will have to wait until the market reopens under normal conditions. On the first Friday of every month at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, the U.S. employment report is released. Instead of waiting until 9:30 a.m., an investor might change their position as soon as the report is released.

Even if you place the order, there is no guarantee that it will be processed during non-business hours. A majority of transactions take place during regular business hours. That implies that if you're selling stock, you'll have a higher demand during normal business hours. During normal business hours, there is a greater supply of stock to choose from. Price volatility is higher during after-hours trading, and your broker can impose trading restrictions. You may not be able to buy highly volatile stocks if you're a novice or unskilled investor.

Nevertheless, buying and selling outside of typical business hours may adversely affect your profitability. When you try to sell stock during extended hours, there may not be as many buyers interested in those shares - and so you may not be able to get the price you want.