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After-Market Orders (AMO)

beginner5 min read

Placing orders when the market is closed, and what really happens to them at the open.

Markets close at 3:30, but life happens after hours — you read the news in the evening and want to act. After-Market Orders (AMOs) let you queue an order when the exchangeA regulated marketplace where shares are bought and sold. is shut.

An AMO doesn’t execute when you place it. It’s held by your brokerAn intermediary licensed to execute your trades. and released to the exchangeA regulated marketplace where shares are bought and sold. before the next session — where it joins the pre-open auction or the opening. So it competes for the opening price, not the price you saw last evening.

Convenience, with a catch: an AMO placed after good overnight news often fills at a higher open than you expected, because everyone else read the same news. AMOs queue your intent; they don’t lock in last night’s price.
Common mistake“I placed an AMO at last close ₹100, so I’ll get ₹100.” If the stock opens at ₹105 on positive news, a market AMO fills near ₹105. Use a limit AMO if the entry price matters to you.
Key takeawayAMOs queue orders while the market is closed and release them into the next open — they capture the opening price, not last night’s close.
FAQs
Is there any advantage to placing an AMO early?

Mainly convenience — you don’t have to be at your screen at 9:15. It does not give you priority over the opening auction or a better price; it simply participates in the next session like any other order.