Nasdaq Inc., the second-largest US stock exchange operator, has unveiled plans to introduce 24-hour trading on its flagship equities exchange, a transformative step set to launch in the second half of 2026, pending regulatory approval.
Announced on March 7, 2025, by Nasdaq President Tal Cohen via a LinkedIn post, this initiative aims to enable trading five days a week, round-the-clock, aligning with similar moves by competitors like the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Cboe Global Markets.
The exchange has reportedly begun engaging with regulators, including the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and market stakeholders to ensure a smooth rollout.
Cohen emphasized that this shift is driven by surging global demand for U.S. equities, fueled by rising retail participation, growing financial literacy, and the proliferation of digital trading platforms.
With foreign holdings of U.S. stocks reaching $17 trillion by June 2024—nearly double the level from five years prior—Nasdaq’s move broadly reflects a strategic effort to capture this international appetite.
The announcement underscores a broader trend toward continuous market access, a demand rooted in today’s globalized economy.
Traditional U.S. trading hours, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET, have long catered mostly to domestic investors, but they misalign with the needs of a 24/7 world.
Investors across Asia, Europe, and beyond increasingly seek real-time access to U.S. markets to react to news, economic data, or corporate developments as they unfold, rather than waiting for the next trading session.
This is particularly evident in the cryptocurrency space, where 24-hour trading has become the norm, pressuring traditional exchanges to adapt.
Nasdaq’s plan builds on existing extended hours—pre-market (4:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.) and after-hours (4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.)—but takes it further by eliminating downtime entirely during the trading week, enhancing liquidity and flexibility for participants across time zones.
This shift is inseparable from the rise of advanced fintech solutions, which have significantly improved how markets operate.
Platforms like Robinhood and Charles Schwab already offer limited 24-hour trading, while firms like Interactive Brokers enable overnight stock trading on alternative venues.
Nasdaq’s infrastructure, bolstered by considerable technological investment, positions it to deliver a 24-hour trading experience with overall stability and resilience, as Cohen noted.
The move requires updates to systems like the Securities Information Processor (SIP) in order to handle continuous data feeds, a challenge Nasdaq is addressing collaboratively with industry partners.
Fintech innovations—such as algorithmic trading, real-time analytics, and blockchain, DLT– enabled settlement systems—further enable this transition, ensuring fair pricing and robust risk management despite lower overnight volumes.
In a globalized economy, where capital flows transcend borders and time zones, Nasdaq’s 24-hour trading aligns seamlessly with the demands of modern investors.
It mirrors the always-on nature of digital assets and forex markets, appealing to both retail traders and financial institutions seeking instant access. It’s quite evident that the technology is now available to easily support 24-hour trading and there should be no excuse for not doing so. Platforms and service providers that do not embrace these developments will be left behind.
While significant challenges like liquidity and regulatory oversight remain, the fintech ecosystem’s advancement provides the necessary digital tools to effectively mitigate these risks.
As competitors like NYSE (with its 22-hour plan) and Cboe follow suit, Nasdaq’s initiative signals a pivotal evolution in the dominant US capital markets, redefining accessibility and reinforcing its role in a well-connected financial ecosystem.