Nasdaq Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ) is angling to keep the lights on almost all day, every trading day. The exchange is engaging with regulators to launch nearly continuous trading — 23 hours per day, five days per week.
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The expanded schedule bolts on a brand-new overnight session running from 9:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. ET. That plugs into Nasdaq’s existing extended-hours windows of 4:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., which sandwich regular U.S. trading hours of 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The only downtime would be a one-hour industry-wide pause from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET for processing and trade-date rollover, plus all-day Saturday.
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Under this weekly cycle, trading would kick off at 9:00 p.m. ET Sunday and run essentially nonstop until 8:00 p.m. ET Friday — Nasdaq’s version of the “market that never sleeps.”
Nasdaq’s stated rationale is to capture rising global demand for U.S. equities, enable issuers to tap capital from investors worldwide, and broaden wealth-building access for traders outside the traditional 9:30-to-4 window.
The industry is currently targeting Sunday, December 6, 2026 for the transition, though that’s contingent on Securities Information Processor readiness and any necessary SEC rule changes — the new overnight session itself still needs SEC approval.
Retail Brokerages Offer 24-Hour Trading
Robinhood Markets (NASDAQ:HOOD) has offered its 24 Hour Market since 2023, letting users place limit orders on roughly 900-plus stocks and ETFs from 8:00 p.m. ET Sunday through 8:00 p.m. ET Friday, routed through Blue Ocean ATS.
Webull (NASDAQ:BULL) followed in late 2024 with its own overnight session, running 8:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. ET Sunday through Thursday on 500-plus select securities, limit orders only, no margin.
Interactive Brokers (NASDAQ:IBKR) and Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW) have similar overnight windows. Nasdaq’s push essentially validates what these platforms bet on years ago while promising to bring exchange-grade infrastructure, price-band protections, and consolidated market data to a session that’s currently fragmented across ATSs and dark pools.
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