Nasdaq Ditches Traditional Trading Schedule for Round-the-Clock Action

Nasdaq, the world's largest stock market, is set to launch near-round-the-clock trading on December 6, 2026, in an effort to keep up with crypto markets and global stock demand. The proposed schedule would see trading take place for 23 hours a day, five days a week, from Sunday evening to Friday evening every week.

The current schedule operates from 4:00 a.m to 8:00 p.m ET, with a core trading session occurring between 9:30 a.m and 4:00 p.m. The new schedule would allow for an hour's break between 8:00 p.m and 9:00 p.m ET for trade-date rollovers and system maintenance.

Nasdaq President Tal Cohen noted that the new trading timelines would capture global trading in US equities, which surged by 97% between 2019 and 2024. The Nasdaq Composite has also seen significant growth, surging over 13% year-to-date to historic highs of 26,300.