Johannesburg · ZAR
Trading US futures from South Africa
Johannesburg is 6 hours ahead of New York until 31 Oct 2026, so the US stock market opens at 15:30 your time and the CME week starts Monday 00:00. Below: every CME moment that matters, in Johannesburg time; the weeks the gap changes; who regulates a broker for South African residents; how futures gains are taxed; and how to test an idea before you put money behind it.
- Gap to New York
- +6 h
- until 31 Oct 2026
- US stock market opens
- 15:30
- Johannesburg time
- CME week opens
- 00:00
- Monday
- Gap changes
- 1×
- in the next twelve months
CME hours in Johannesburg time
Each column is a stretch of the next twelve months with one gap to New York, read from the same time-zone database your phone uses. Exchange holidays shorten some sessions; the market calendar lists them.
| Moment | New YorkEastern time | Johannesburg+6 h, 29 Oct – 31 Oct 2026, 14 Mar – 28 Oct 2027 | Johannesburg+7 h, 1 Nov 2026 – 13 Mar 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| CME Globex week opens | Sunday6:00 p.m. | Monday00:00 | Monday01:00 |
| US economic dataCPI, the jobs report, GDP, retail sales | 8:30 a.m. | 14:30 | 15:30 |
| US stock market opensThe index futures' busiest hours begin | 9:30 a.m. | 15:30 | 16:30 |
| First half-hour closesThe screener's built-in ideas take their first reading here | 10:00 a.m. | 16:00 | 17:00 |
| EIA energy reportsCrude stocks on Wednesday, gas storage on Thursday | 10:30 a.m. | 16:30 | 17:30 |
| Gold and silver settle | 1:30 p.m. | 19:30 | 20:30 |
| Fed decision (FOMC days)Eight scheduled meetings a year | 2:00 p.m. | 20:00 | 21:00 |
| Crude oil and natural gas settle | 2:30 p.m. | 20:30 | 21:30 |
| US stock market closesIndex futures settle; the regular session ends | 4:00 p.m. | 22:00 | 23:00 |
| Daily halt beginsTrading resumes an hour later | 5:00 p.m. | 23:00 | next day00:00 |
| CME Globex week closes | Friday5:00 p.m. | Friday23:00 | Saturday00:00 |
The weeks the gap changes
The US moves its clocks on the second Sunday of March and the first Sunday of November. South Africa does not change its clocks, so the gap moves only when the US does.
- From 1 Nov 2026 to 13 Mar 2027, Johannesburg is 7 hours ahead of New York: the US open lands at 16:30 instead of 15:30.
A broker with CME access
Through brokers that accept South African residents, within exchange-control limits: money sent to a foreign broker counts against your Single Discretionary Allowance or, with SARS approval, the Foreign Investment Allowance.
Regulator: FSCA, with exchange control under the SARB. Source, checked October 12, 2026.
How futures gains are taxed
SARS decides capital or revenue on intention and conduct, and has said profits on futures are likely to be on revenue account, taxed as normal income.
General information, not tax advice; rules turn on your own circumstances. SARS, tax guide for share owners, checked October 12, 2026.
Testing an idea from South Africa
Everything runs in a browser and is priced in US dollars; your card issuer does the conversion. A screen reads the US tape, so a trader in Johannesburg gets the same tick history, the same gates and the same verdict as one in Chicago. A screen reads the regular session, 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET (15:30 to 22:00 in Johannesburg), or, on the markets with 24-hour data, the whole Globex session.
- The screenerFree · Pro $29/mo · Pro Max $59/moDescribe an idea in plain English and screen it against tick data. One screen, verdict only free; 10 screens a month on Pro.
- Sierra Chart studies2 free · from $9.99Indicators for your own Sierra Chart charts: free session levels and market internals, smart money concepts, and supply and demand zones.
Trading from South Africa: questions
- What time do US futures open in Johannesburg?
- CME Globex opens for the week at 6:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, which is Monday 00:00 in Johannesburg until 31 Oct 2026. From then it trades around the clock until Friday, with a one-hour halt every weekday from 5:00 p.m. ET (23:00 in Johannesburg).
- What time does the US stock market open in Johannesburg time?
- The New York cash session opens at 9:30 a.m. ET, 15:30 in Johannesburg until 31 Oct 2026, and closes at 4:00 p.m. ET (22:00). The index futures trade before and after it, but their heaviest volume sits inside it. Most US economic data lands an hour earlier, at 8:30 a.m. ET (14:30).
- When does the time difference between Johannesburg and New York change?
- Johannesburg is 6 hours ahead of New York until 31 Oct 2026. From 1 Nov 2026 to 13 Mar 2027 it is 7 hours ahead of New York. The two countries move their clocks on different dates, and every CME time shifts by the same amount in Johannesburg while they disagree.
- How are futures gains taxed in South Africa?
- SARS decides capital or revenue on intention and conduct, and has said profits on futures are likely to be on revenue account, taxed as normal income. This is general information, not tax advice.
- Can I use Waypoint from South Africa?
- Yes. The screener and the calculators run in a browser, and everything is priced in US dollars.A screen tests a trading idea against US futures tick history and returns a verdict; it places no trades, and nothing on the site is advice to trade. To trade, the usual route: through brokers that accept South African residents, within exchange-control limits: money sent to a foreign broker counts against your Single Discretionary Allowance or, with SARS approval, the Foreign Investment Allowance.
Screen an idea from Johannesburg
Write the idea in plain English after the close, 22:00 your time, and have the verdict before the next session opens. Real per-fill costs, a drift null and a walk-forward, written down before the run.