Round-the-Clock Trading in U.S. Stock Markets

Stock and other traditional financial asset traders worldwide want the ability to buy and sell assets around the clock. This has prompted two of the biggest stock markets in the U.S., Nasdaq and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), to consider offering 24/7 trading soon.

> “We definitely see that this is where the markets are moving,” said Giang Bui, Nasdaq’s head of U.S. Equities & Exchange-Traded Products, at the Digital Asset Summit in New York. “There’s a lot of demand globally for U.S. stocks and people want to trade within the hours that they’re typically awake; much of this is due to the familiarity with crypto trading 24/7.”

Both Nasdaq and the NYSE are in the process of obtaining approval for opening their venues 24 hours a day, potentially for five to seven days a week. Nasdaq recently announced it had begun discussions with regulators regarding this change, while the NYSE has already received approval.

Advantages of Round-the-Clock Trading

Round-the-clock trading could offer several advantages, including increased volume and market liquidity, as traders would no longer be restricted by specific time zones. Currently, the U.S. stock market operates from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET.

> “We’re hearing it across the board from global broker-dealers and their clients — even within the U.S., several U.S. brokers already offer overnight trading because their customers trade crypto during those hours,” Bui added.

Nasdaq lists various crypto-related products, including the iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) and the recent addition of two Solana (SOL) futures ETFs issued by Volatility Shares, which marks the most successful ETF debut in U.S. history.