Stock Markets Going 24/7: Why Traders Win and Brokers Lose

Imagine if your local store closed at 5 PM, but the owner could still change all the prices overnight. That's similar to what some experts say happens in today's stock market.

Major U.S. stock exchanges are planning to trade 24/7, just like cryptocurrency markets do now. This means you could buy or sell stocks anytime - even at 3 AM on a Sunday.

Currently, most stock markets close at 4 PM and reopen at 9:30 AM. During these closed hours, big news can break, but regular investors can't trade. However, some brokers (companies that help you buy and sell stocks) can still make moves behind the scenes.

Mati Greenspan, a market expert, claims this system lets brokers "hunt" for stop losses. A stop loss is like an automatic safety net - if your stock drops to a certain price, it sells automatically to prevent bigger losses. Greenspan alleges that brokers deliberately set opening prices to trigger these stop losses, making profits while their clients lose money.

The benefits of 24/7 trading include: • Instant reaction to news - no waiting until markets open • Fairer pricing - more people trading means harder to manipulate • Equal access - everyone can trade anytime, not just big players

Several enforcement actions by the SEC (the U.S. market watchdog) suggest that after-hours trading currently has less oversight and can be more easily manipulated through tactics like "spoofing" (fake orders to trick other traders).

The bottom line: 24/7 trading could shift power from middlemen back to regular investors, making markets fairer and more transparent for everyone.

This is an AI-generated summary. Read the original article at: https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2026/04/04/traders-are-the-big-winners-as-24-7-stocks-will-finally-end-the-after-hours-price-manipulation