The US economy added 151,000 jobs last month and the unemployment rate rose to 4.1%

As investors waited for markets to open Friday morning, a major stock exchange announced plans to offer 24-hour trading, another sign of a shift in the industry toward around-the-clock access to markets.

Nasdaq plans to offer 24-hour weekday trading on its namesake Nasdaq Stock Exchange, joining a growing number of exchange operators looking to cater to new investing habits.

The plan is pending regulatory approval and coordination with other industry players, and the expectation is to offer 24-hour trading beginning in the second half of 2026, according to a post on LinkedIn by Nasdaq President Tal Cohen.

Nasdaq is trying to expand its trading hours due to increased retail investing and foreign investors demanding US stocks, Cohen said. In the past five years, 56 exchange-traded products that track the Nasdaq 100 have launched, and 98% of them were introduced outside the United States, according to Cohen.

“Attracting more investment to our markets presents a compelling opportunity for both the U.S. and global economy,” Cohen said. “It is therefore incumbent on us to enhance access for those operating across different time zones.”

The announcement comes on the heels of other major exchange operators expanding their hours. The New York Stock Exchange announced in October that it would plan to offer trading 22 hours a day, five days a week. In February, Cboe Global Markets announced plans to offer trading on its US equities exchange 24-hours, five days a week.

The shift toward 24-hour trading is reflective of past years’ boom in platforms like Robinhood, which allow retail investors to trade at any time.

“As the industry considers the growing interest in 24-hour trading, we stand at yet another pivotal moment — one that has the potential to broaden investor access, expand wealth-building opportunities and redefine how markets function,” Cohen said.