STOCKS | Nasdaq’s 23-Hour Trading Nears as South Korean U.S. Stock Buying Faces Expansion Debate

Nasdaq is set to introduce five days a week of 23-hour trading starting on the sixth of next month, financial investment industry sources reported on the 15th. According to Sina Finance, the added session will run from 11 a.m. to 10 a.m. the following day in South Korea, with trading paused from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. for system maintenance. NYSE Arca, under the New York Stock Exchange, and EDGX, under Cboe, also plan to adopt 23-hour trading, intensifying competition among U.S. exchanges for liquidity. Capital Market Research Institute senior researcher Lee Seong-bok said the longer hours could attract Asian investors and allow institutional investors to trade overnight, potentially expanding South Korean investment in U.S. stocks amid uncertainty in the local market. iM Securities Research Center Director Go Tae-bong and LS Securities Research Center Director Shin Joong-ho said longer trading hours alone were unlikely to cause a major outflow from South Korean stocks. They said investment decisions depend more on companies’ investment value and market sentiment. With South Korean stocks retreating from their highs and performing weakly in the second half, the longer U.S. trading day could nevertheless intensify concerns about domestic capital outflows.