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The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission will hold a roundtable on September 17 to examine preparations for near-continuous trading in U.S. equity markets.
The discussion comes as Nasdaq, NYSE and Cboe pursue longer sessions that would bring stocks closer to the round-the-clock access common in crypto. Any expansion would require market data, clearing, and surveillance systems to operate reliably overnight.
September 17 Meeting Will Examine Overnight Market Readiness
The event will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Time at the SEC’s Washington headquarters and will be streamed online. The regulator plans to discuss overnight trading, operational resilience and risks created by longer hours.
The announcement is not a rule proposal or approval of 24-hour trading. The SEC will release the agenda and panelists later, making the meeting a consultation on what must change before extended sessions can expand.
Longer Trading Hours Raise Liquidity and Outage Risks
The discussion is expected to cover thinner overnight liquidity, wider bid-ask spreads and how exchanges respond to outages when fewer market makers are active.
Trade reporting, surveillance and investor protection must also work across the longer trading day. Those issues make overnight market readiness a national market-system question rather than a decision for individual exchanges alone.
Nasdaq Plans 23-Hour Weekday Stock Trading
Nasdaq has received SEC approval to move toward trading stocks and exchange-traded products for 23 hours a day, five days a week.
Its planned overnight session would run from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. Eastern Time. The launch still depends on supporting infrastructure and operational readiness across market participants.
NYSE and Cboe Pursue 22-Hour and 23×5 Sessions
NYSE is preparing to extend weekday trading on NYSE Arca to 22 hours. Cboe has filed for near-24-hour weekday trading on its EDGX exchange, with a proposed December 2026 launch dependent on regulatory review and industry readiness.
The SEC approved 24X National Exchange in 2024 as a first step toward overnight trading, though related market-data and operational issues remained under review.
Clearing and Market Data Systems Must Support Longer Hours
Longer exchange sessions cannot operate alone. Securities information processors must publish consolidated quotations overnight, while clearing agencies, brokers, and custodians need systems capable of processing trades across a longer operating day.
Crypto markets have helped build demand for continuous access among retail and overseas investors. Stocks still rely on centralized infrastructure and scheduled corporate disclosures, making a full seven-day model harder to implement.
The September roundtable will not set a launch date. It will help identify the safeguards and regulatory changes required before near-continuous U.S. stock trading becomes standard.
