If you've ever nervously refreshed your brokerage account before the opening bell, wondering how Nvidia's latest earnings might shake up the market, this guide is for you. We'll break down when and how Nvidia (NVDA) releases its earnings, how those releases can impact premarket trading, and—drawing from experience, data, and some industry wisdom—what you can actually do about it. Plus, I’ll toss in a practical example and, because this is the internet, a dash of my own trading mishaps.
| Country | Standard/Name | Legal Basis | Executing Body | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USA | Verified Exporter Program | 19 CFR §149.2 | U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) | Strict vetting, see CBP Exporter Program |
| EU | Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) | EU Regulation 952/2013 | National Customs Authorities | Mutual recognition, see AEO Info |
| China | Advanced Certified Enterprise (ACE) | GACC Order No. 238 | General Administration of Customs | Focus on supply chain security |
| Japan | AEO (Authorized Importer/Exporter) | Customs Business Act | Japan Customs | Emphasis on compliance |
Let’s get straight to it: Yes, Nvidia’s earnings releases can and do affect its stock in premarket trading—but the devil is in the details. Let me walk you through the mechanics, sprinkle in a real case or two, and explain the “why” behind the wild moves.
Nvidia is a U.S.-listed company, so it follows U.S. market conventions. Typically, Nvidia releases earnings after the U.S. market closes—around 4:05pm or 4:15pm Eastern Time. Sometimes, rare as a blue moon, a company might issue a premarket release (before 9:30am ET), but Nvidia almost always goes the “after hours” route. You can see their earnings calendar here: Nvidia Investor Relations.
But—and it’s a big but—what happens after the earnings are out? The real action often spills over into premarket hours the next morning. Why? Because traders, institutional investors, and even robots (algos) are digesting that info all night and into the wee hours before the market officially opens.
Premarket trading runs from 4:00am to 9:30am ET on U.S. exchanges. Not all brokers allow access, but the big ones—TD Ameritrade, E*TRADE, Interactive Brokers—do. The volume is thinner, the spreads are wider, and things can get weird (trust me, I’ve seen NVDA swing 10% on almost no volume at 7am).
After Nvidia posts earnings after-hours, you’ll see a rush of trades both then and again in premarket. Some investors might have missed the news the night before, while others are reacting to analyst upgrades, conference call tidbits, or big institutional trades. I usually wake up early on “Nvidia Day” and watch the Level II quotes—often you’ll see wild swings as Europe wakes up and starts trading U.S. tech stocks.
Let’s make this real. On August 23, 2023, Nvidia reported blowout Q2 results after the bell. The stock soared over 6% in after-hours. Next morning, premarket, it gapped up another 3% as European and U.S. traders kept piling in. By the time the regular market opened, some of the froth had settled, but the premarket was buzzing—literally, my phone was lighting up nonstop. If you want to see premarket action, sites like Nasdaq’s NVDA premarket page show the tick-by-tick moves.
But—and here’s where my experience comes in—if you tried to buy in premarket, you might have gotten burned. The spreads were huge, and sometimes the price you see is not the price you get. One time, I tried to chase a premarket pop on NVDA, only to get filled $4 above the last trade. Lesson: premarket is not for the faint of heart.
All this action is perfectly legal and regulated. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) allows premarket trading, but with some caveats—lower liquidity, higher volatility, and less transparency. Institutional players (think hedge funds) often use algorithmic trading to react instantly to earnings releases. The SEC’s guidance on premarket and after-hours trading is worth a read if you want to get into the weeds.
Why does this matter internationally? Different countries have different “verified trade” or “authorized trader” standards for who can access these markets, as shown in the table above. For example, U.S. rules are relatively open, while EU and China require more certifications for institutional participants. This affects which global funds can participate directly in Nvidia’s premarket trading.
I once sat in on a fintech panel where a prop desk manager basically said: “Premarket moves are like the first draft of market history—interesting, but often messy and incomplete.” He pointed out that big funds use premarket to test sentiment, but rarely commit full positions until regular hours.
To quote the OECD’s report on market transparency (2019):
"Pre-market and post-market trading can lead to price discovery, but also exacerbate volatility due to lower liquidity and less regulatory oversight."
That lines up with my own experience: premarket is where you see the rumors, the knee-jerk reactions, and the “hot takes” before the main market settles down.
Suppose Country A (say, the USA) allows any registered broker to trade NVDA premarket, while Country B (say, China) restricts this to "Advanced Certified Enterprises" only. A Chinese fund might need to get ACE status before even touching U.S. premarket shares, while U.S. brokers can dive right in. If there’s a dispute—say, a mistaken trade—U.S. rules would defer to SEC guidance, while China might require a much more burdensome investigation under GACC Order No. 238. That means the same earnings report can have far more immediate impact on U.S. and European investors than on some Asian institutions.
This matters if you’re running a cross-border fund or just watching the global flows. It also means some of the “premarket” action is actually U.S. and European traders fighting it out, while Asian money waits for the open.
To wrap up: Nvidia almost always releases earnings after the U.S. close, but those numbers absolutely move the stock in premarket, sometimes dramatically. If you’re trading premarket, be prepared for wild swings, wide spreads, and sometimes, heartbreak—speaking from personal bruises here. Always check your broker’s premarket rules, watch the liquidity, and don’t chase every headline. For institutional players, be aware of your country's "verified trade" rules—they really can affect your ability to participate.
My advice? Watch the after-hours and premarket like a hawk, but think twice before jumping in with both feet. Sometimes the real move comes after the opening bell, once everyone’s had their coffee and the dust settles. And if you want to dig deeper, check out the SEC, OECD, and your country’s customs authority for the nitty-gritty on verified trading standards.
If you’ve had your own NVDA premarket war stories, share them—misery loves company. And remember: in markets, as in life, the early bird sometimes gets the worm…but sometimes meets the cat instead.