Published March 07, 2025

10:37 AM EST

YUKI IWAMURA / Contributor / Getty Images

Key Takeaways

  • The Nasdaq plans to move a 24-hour trading model, five days a week, starting in the second half of 2026.
  • Exchange president Tal Cohen said the move is designed to expand access to U.S. markets to international traders.
  • The Nasdaq has begun engaging with regulators about proceeding with the move, Cohen said.

The Nasdaq (NDAQ) exchange plans to move to offering 24-hour trading, Monday through Friday, in a move that could make U.S. markets more accessible. 

The exchange has begun speaking with regulators and anticipates round-the-clock trading going into effect in the second half of 2026, Nasdaq President Tal Cohen said Friday in a post on LinkedIn.

The goal is to “enhance access for those operating across different time zones,” Cohen said, with retail investor interest in U.S. markets higher than it’s ever been. Foreign holdings of U.S. equities reached $17 trillion in June, nearly double the level of investment just five years earlier, Cohen noted. 

In October, the New York Stock Exchange announced a similar plan to extend trading on its digital exchange to 22 hours a day, from 1:30 a.m. ET to 11:30 p.m. ET.

The Securities and Exchange Commission, the federal agency tasked with regulating U.S. markets, declined to comment.

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