Nasdaq Plans 23-Hour Stock Trading From December 2026

The Nasdaq Stock Market is set to move toward nearly round-the-clock trading, with the exchange planning to introduce a new overnight trading session from 9:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. Eastern Time beginning December 6, 2026.

The move would extend Nasdaq trading to approximately 23 hours a day, five days a week, as the exchange responds to growing global demand for U.S. stocks and seeks to make its market more accessible to investors around the world.

Under the proposed schedule, the new overnight session will operate alongside Nasdaq’s existing trading hours. Trading would run from 9:00 p.m. Sunday until 8:00 p.m. Friday, with a one-hour break between 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. ET each weekday for market processing, maintenance and other operational activities.

Nasdaq’s regular market session from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET will remain unchanged and continue to serve as the primary period for price discovery. The existing pre-market and after-hours sessions will also remain in place.

For investors outside the United States, the change could make U.S. equities considerably easier to access during local daytime hours. It is also part of a broader shift toward longer trading windows as international investors increasingly seek immediate access to American stocks regardless of their time zone.

Nasdaq said the initiative is designed to meet the realities of a more connected global market while maintaining the structure and protections of the U.S. equity market.

The move does not mean stocks will trade literally 24 hours a day. The one-hour daily shutdown from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET will remain, while the market will also be closed on Saturdays.

The December 6 launch date is subject to the readiness of the securities information processor and applicable regulatory requirements, according to Nasdaq.

If implemented as planned, the change would mark a major evolution in U.S. stock-market trading, bringing traditional equities closer to the continuous-access model that has become familiar in global markets and especially in cryptocurrency.

For investors, the biggest change will be simple: waiting for the traditional U.S. market open could soon become a thing of the past, with Nasdaq stocks available for trading for almost the entire day.