Nasdaq President Tal Cohen surprised investors on Friday after he announced the stock exchange is looking to operate 24 hours a day. Cohen said the Nasdaq is currently in discussions with “regulators, market participants and other key stakeholders,” to enable 24-hour trading on the exchange. This would allow traders to trade stocks 24 hours a day, five days a week.
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Cohen notes that 24-hour Nasdaq trading is still a ways off as it awaits approval from regulators and support from infrastructure providers. This has the stock exchange targeting 24-hour trading in the second half of 2026.
Why Is the Nasdaq Switching to 24/5 Trading?
Cohen highlights the changes retail trading has seen over the last several years as a major reason for the Nasdaq expanding its trading hours. He believes this will allow the stock exchange to better serve more sophisticated customers as interest in U.S. stocks increases overseas.
According to Cohen, “Attracting more investment to our markets presents a compelling opportunity for both the U.S. and global economy. It is therefore incumbent on us to enhance access for those operating across different time zones.”
Even so, there are concerns about opening Nasdaq trading to other countries. That includes corporate leaders being split on the decision. Cohen’s LinkedIn post about the change also attracted several comments deriding the decision and how it could more easily open U.S. markets to influence from corrupt foreign actors.
How to Play the Nasdaq Hour Changes
An easy way to play the Nasdaq hour change announcement is by investing in Nasdaq 100 (NDX) ETFs. Traders have the option of buying shares in an ETF that favors the index, or one that shorts it. Investors can pick between a wide range of ETFs with Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) and ProShares UltraPro Short QQQ (SQQQ) being popular ones for and against in the Nasdaq 100.