The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced plans to hold a public roundtable in September focused on the potential transition to 24-hour trading in US equity markets.

"We are moving towards a new day – and night – in the US equity markets," SEC Chair Paul 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."

The roundtable is scheduled for September 17 and will take place at the SEC's headquarters in Washington, DC. According to the regulator, discussions will cover preparations needed to support overnight trading as well as operational and resiliency considerations in a 24-hour market environment. The event is expected to draw input from exchanges, broker-dealers, clearing organizations, and market infrastructure providers, all of which would need to coordinate on the substantial logistics of supporting continuous sessions — including staffing, risk management, and settlement processing.

Currently, regular trading hours on major US equity exchanges run from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, with limited pre-market and after-hours sessions available through certain platforms. These extended sessions typically account for a fraction of daily trading volume and are characterized by thinner liquidity and wider bid-ask spreads. A move to 24-hour trading would represent a significant structural shift for the world's largest equity market.

Under the current regulatory framework, US exchanges operate as self-regulatory organizations and must obtain SEC approval for rule changes, meaning any transition to round-the-clock sessions would require formal rule filings and a public comment process before implementation.

The announcement comes amid a broader global trend. A growing number of international exchanges are either offering or planning near-continuous trading schedules, responding in part to demand from retail investors for round-the-clock market access — a feature long provided by cryptocurrency exchanges, which operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Related: Cboe to launch 24-hour stock trading

The London Stock Exchange is reportedly planning to launch a night-time trading venue in early 2027, as part of its own push toward extended hours.

In March, Nasdaq disclosed that it had begun discussions with US regulators about offering 24-hour trading five days a week on its stock market. The exchange said it was aiming to launch the service in the second half of 2026, contingent on "regulatory approval and alignment."