Archive · 16 Dec 2025
Nasdaq Plans 23/5 Round-the-Clock Trading
Nasdaq, a big stock exchange where companies like Nvidia and Apple are listed, wants to let people trade stocks almost all the time, every day of the week.
Right now, you can only trade during certain hours, but Nasdaq wants to extend that to 23 hours a day, five days a week.
They think this will help people from all over the world trade stocks more easily, especially when big news happens outside regular trading hours.
Other big exchanges like the New York Stock Exchange are also planning to do this.
Some people are excited about the idea, but others are worried about things like lower liquidity and higher volatility.
Nasdaq plans to start this new system in the second half of 2026, after making sure their systems can handle it.
Nasdaq plans to introduce 23/5 round-the-clock trading for stocks and exchange-traded products, with an expected launch in the second half of 2026.
The exchange will operate two trading sessions: a day session from 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. and a night session from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m., with a one-hour break in between.
The U.S. stock market represents almost two-thirds of the global market value of listed companies, with total foreign holdings of U.S. equities reaching $17 trillion in 2024.
Nasdaq's filing with the SEC on December 16, 2025, will mark its first formal step towards rolling out round-the-clock trading, following discussions with regulators.
Advocates of round-the-clock trading argue it will allow investors, especially those based outside the U.S., to react more quickly to developments outside regular market hours, while major Wall Street banks express concerns about lower liquidity and heightened volatility.
- Who
- Nasdaq, one of the world's largest exchanges, home to tech companies like Nvidia, Apple, and Amazon
- What
- Plans to introduce 23/5 round-the-clock trading for stocks and exchange-traded products
- When
- Expected launch in the second half of 2026, with SEC filing planned for December 16, 2025
- Where
- Nasdaq exchange, primarily serving U.S. and global investors
- Why
- To capitalize on global demand for U.S. equities and provide investors with more flexibility to trade in their own time zones
- Exchange
- Nasdaq
- Current Trading Hours
- 16 hours, 5 days a week
- Proposed Trading Hours
- 23 hours, 5 days a week
- Expected Launch
- Second half of 2026
- Global Demand for U.S. Equities
- $17 trillion in 2024
- U.S. Market Share
- Two-thirds of global market value
- Trading Sessions
- Day session (4 a.m. to 8 p.m.) and night session (9 p.m. to 4 a.m.)
- Maintenance Break
- One hour between day and night sessions