The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission will hold a public roundtable on September 17 to discuss preparations for 24-hour trading in U.S. equity markets. The meeting, at SEC headquarters in Washington, D.C. and streamed online, will cover overnight trading, market operations, system resilience, and investor protection.
SEC Chair Paul Atkins said the move could bring U.S. markets closer to other global markets that already operate around the clock. The regulator's Division of Trading and Markets highlighted the need for coordinated changes in market data, clearing, corporate actions, and trade reporting. Nasdaq aims to offer 24/5 trading in the second half of 2026, while Cboe Global Markets proposes near-continuous weekday trading on its EDGX Equities Exchange with a one-hour daily break. The London Stock Exchange also plans a separate venue for extended hours, targeting client testing by end-2026 and launch in early 2027.
The SEC roundtable will gather input from exchanges, brokers, clearing firms, and investors. It does not set a final rule or common launch date but opens a public comment file. The announcement notes that cryptocurrency markets’ 24/7 model has shaped demand for round-the-clock traditional trading, though tokenized stocks remain separate from exchange-listed shares.
