The TRADE Predictions Series 2026: The Extended Hours Trading Debate – Part Two

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Jason Wallach, chief executive, Bruce Markets:

The past several years made one thing clear: extending the US trading day was never a question of demand. Investors were already active overnight, and global markets proved that liquidity would show up if given the chance.

The real friction point was the underlying machinery. Key components – clearing cycles, data availability, corporate-action dissemination, venue redundancy – were designed for a discrete trading session, not continuous activity. 

That picture has changed considerably. Over the course of 2025, the overnight market underwent a structural shift. Multiple fully operational venues now provide true redundancy, removing the single-point-of-failure dynamic that long defined extended hours.

Brokerage tools and routing logic have matured to more closely mirror core-session standards. Coordination around market data, clearing windows and operational cutoffs has tightened, reducing the gaps that once limited risk appetite. 

As a result, 2026 is the first year where 24-hour trading is supported by infrastructure built for continuity rather than novelty. 

The coming year won’t be defined by announcements about ‘extended hours’ – it will be defined by the first real competitive overnight ecosystem in the US, and by the improvements in execution quality, predictability and investor experience that follow from it.