SEC sets September roundtable on 24-hour US equity trading

The US Securities and Exchange Commission will host a public roundtable on September 17 to discuss transitioning to round-the-clock equity trading. The Washington meeting marks the most formal regulatory step yet toward dismantling the standard daytime trading schedule.

SEC Chair Paul Atkins signaled strong support for the shift. “We are moving towards a new day – and night – in the US equity markets,” Atkins said on Thursday. “With the expansion to overnight trading, I’m excited at the prospect of US equity markets aligning with those markets that already trade continuously.”

For market professionals, a 24-hour cycle represents a fundamental rewiring of equity market structure. Brokerages and market makers would face steep operational hurdles to maintain liquidity and manage risk outside regular business hours. The SEC's agenda targets these vulnerabilities, planning to discuss operations and the technical preparations required to support overnight trading safely.

The regulatory focus follows aggressive positioning by major exchange operators eager to capture new revenue. Nasdaq has been engaging US regulators since March to approve five-day, 24-hour trading, aiming for a launch in the second half of 2026 pending "regulatory approval and alignment." Cboe and the London Stock Exchange are advancing parallel strategies, with LSE reportedly planning a night-time venue by early 2027.

This convergence is largely driven by shifting retail investor expectations and an increasingly globalized trading landscape. The ability to trade continuously has long been a defining competitive advantage for cryptocurrency exchanges, allowing digital platforms to capture volume during traditional market closures. By extending hours, legacy equities markets are moving to neutralize that edge and give retail investors the same round-the-clock access to stocks.