But although relatively rare, incidents such as happened with Cendant are apt to continue to occur as long as corporations announce significant developments after markets close, warns Rick Bunker, president and CEO of Reality Online, a subsidiary of Reuters. But that doesn't help the individual investor who may want to unload a stock following a 6 p.m. corporate announcement. You could trade after-hours online, but your options are limited there as well. At this point, in most cases, an electronic service such as Ameritrade or Datek Online will simply put a client's order on queue for the next morning. Some brokers offer special after-hours services, but only to preferred customers making relatively large trades.
Bunker advises caution.
The biggest uncertainty is setting a price. With markets closed, prices are set directly between buyer and seller without the mediating participation of a broker. I think they should look to their broker to help them. That's not much solace, of course, when your broker is home having dinner. The increasing popularity of Internet trading may help change that, says Bunker.