Cboe Global Markets, Inc. (Cboe: CBOE), the world’s derivatives and securities exchange network, announced plans to extend trading hours for its Russell 2000 Index (RUT) options suite to “nearly 24 hours a day, five days a week, beginning Feb 9, 2026.”
RUT options are offered “for trading during regular U.S. hours, from 9:30 a.m. ET to 4:15 p.m. ET, Mon through Fri.”
With the planned addition of an overnight session during Cboe‘s Global Trading Hours (GTH), RUT options (including the RUT Weeklys options) “will also trade from 8:15 p.m. ET to 9:25 a.m. ET the following morning, Mon through Fri.”
As investors seek to access U.S. equity market exposure, the ability to trade RUT options nearly around the clock is “expected to help them respond to market-moving events, adjust positioning, and manage risk with greater precision in real time.”
Cboe offers index options “including S&P 500 Index (SPX), Mini-SPX (XSP) and Cboe Volatility Index (VIX) options during its GTH session.”
The addition of RUT options to GTH will expand this lineup, “giving investors even more tools to access U.S. equity large cap, small cap and global equity market exposure – potentially creating more trading, hedging, and liquidity opportunities during this overnight trading session.”
Demand for overnight trading is evident in the growth of Cboe’s GTH sessions, which have experienced record volumes in 2025, up “179% year-to-date compared to full year 2022 as global appetite for U.S. markets has grown and Cboe expands its product availability to meet this demand.”
The Russell 2000 Index measures the performance of U.S. small-cap equities across sectors and has long served as “a barometer of small-cap performance.”
As of the end of November, average daily volume in Cboe’s RUT options has grown to “nearly 75 thousand contracts, up 66% compared to full year 2022, as more traders look to manage risk and implement daily options strategies.”
The Russell 2000 Index has historically been more volatile than large-cap measures and more sensitive “to interest rates – making RUT options a potentially effective tool to trade small-cap volatility and secular trends.”
To track implied volatility for the Russell 2000, Cboe publishes the Cboe Russell 2000 Volatility Index (RVX), “a VIX-style measure of 30-day expected volatility.”
Similar to realized volatility measures, RVX has historically “been higher than the VIX Index, reflecting the risk profile of small-cap stocks.”
Now listed on Cboe Options Exchange, Russell 2000 Index (RUT) options and Russell 2000 Index Weeklys (RUTW) options “are cash-settled, European-style options, meaning there is no risk of early exercise and no need to deliver or receive unwanted shares.”
Cboe offers a range of expirations—including every weekday, end-of-month, and quarterly—allowing investors “to implement a range of trading strategies.”
In addition to offering GTH hours for RUT options, Cboe proposes to add Curb Trading Hours – an additional trading session “that will run from 4:15 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday.”
As noted in the update, Cboe Global Markets, which serves as the world’s derivatives and securities exchange network, delivers “trading, clearing, and investment solutions to people around the world.”
Cboe provides trading solutions and products in “multiple asset classes, including equities, derivatives, and FX across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific.”
They are committed to building an inclusive global marketplace that enables people to “pursue a sustainable financial future.”