NASDAQ will soon allow share trading round the clock
What's the story
The tech-heavy NASDAQ exchange, home to major companies like NVIDIA and Apple, is gearing up to introduce 24-hour trading. The move comes as part of a strategy to meet the growing global demand for US equities. According to Reuters, NASDAQ intends to file paperwork with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for this round-the-clock trading system.
Implementation
NASDAQ's president confirms plans
NASDAQ President Tal Cohen had confirmed in March that the exchange was in talks with regulators about non-stop trading. He had said they were looking at launching this system five days a week by the second half of 2026. Notably, other major exchanges such as the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) have also announced similar plans for extended trading hours.
Trading structure
Proposed schedule for extended trading hours
Currently, the US stock market operates for 16 hours a day. NASDAQ plans to extend this to 24 hours. The proposed structure includes a day session from 4:00am to 8:00pm followed by a one-hour break for maintenance and clearing trades. The night session would then run from 9:00pm until the next day's pre-market opening at 4:00am.
Regulatory approval
NASDAQ's filing marks a significant step toward non-stop trading
The filing with the SEC is NASDAQ's first formal regulatory step toward non-stop trading. The move comes as demand for uninterrupted trading in US stocks has been steadily increasing over the years. This trend has prompted regulators to update market rules and approve extended-hours proposals from major exchanges like Nasdaq, which lists tech giants such as NVIDIA, Apple, and Amazon.