SEC to hold Sept. 17 roundtable on 24-hour stock trading

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission will hold a public roundtable on Sept. 17 at its Washington headquarters to discuss preparations for extending U.S. equity trading to 24 hours. Officials plan to address operations, system resiliency and the infrastructure needed to support overnight sessions.

SEC Chair Paul Atkins called the change “a new day – and night – in the US equity markets” and added he was “excited at the prospect of US equity markets aligning with those markets that already trade continuously.” The agency described the meeting as a forum to examine operational readiness and factors that would affect market functioning during overnight hours.

The discussion will consider what must change across trading, clearing and market surveillance if equities trade around the clock. Topics listed by the SEC include technical and staffing needs for overnight operations, the resilience of trading and clearing systems, the ability to monitor markets and detect misconduct during off-peak hours, and implications for settlement and risk management.

Several exchanges and trading platforms have signaled interest in longer trading windows. Nasdaq has engaged U.S. regulators about offering 24-hour trading five days a week and has indicated a target launch in the second half of 2026, subject to regulatory approval and alignment. Other firms, including Cboe, have announced plans to extend trading hours, and the London Stock Exchange plans a night-time trading venue for early 2027.

The roundtable is open to the public and will gather input from exchanges, broker-dealers, clearing agencies, technology providers and other market participants. The SEC has not set a timeline for any rule changes and described the event as intended to identify issues that must be resolved before any expansion of trading hours.