Bruce Markets, backed by Robinhood and PEAK6, plans to launch the first continuous weekend U.S. stock trading session, pending SEC review.
A Chicago-based alternative trading system operator has struck a deal that could fundamentally redraw the boundaries of U.S. equity markets and create new weekend portfolio management demands for financial advisors.
Bruce Markets LLC, an SEC-registered broker-dealer that operates the overnight equity trading venue Bruce ATS, has announced that it will extend U.S. stock trading through the weekend, subject to regulatory approval. The move is designed to enable continuous 24/7 equities access for global investors and is expected to launch in the coming months.
The initiative is backed by new strategic investments from PEAK6 Investments, now the majority shareholder, and Robinhood Markets. Existing investors including Apex Fintech Solutions, Fidelity Investments, Nasdaq Ventures, NH Investment & Securities, tastytrade, and Webull remain on board.
Bruce Markets will use Nasdaq’s trading technology to power the expanded sessions, while clearing, carrying, and custody services will be handled by Apex Clearing Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Apex Fintech Solutions.
A market structure shift years in the making
The announcement is the latest and most consequential step in a broader industry push to move U.S. equities beyond the traditional Monday-to-Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET session.
Cboe Global Markets filed a proposal with the SEC in March 2026 to introduce near-continuous equities trading during the business week on its Cboe EDGX Equities Exchange, targeting a December 2026 launch.
The SEC approved Nasdaq’s 23/5 proposal on April 10, 2026, and NYSE Arca had received accelerated approval in February 2025 to extend trading to 22 hours a day, five days a week, also targeting a December 2026 launch.
Clearing infrastructure has kept pace. The Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation’s National Securities Clearing Corporation targeted June 2026 to begin operating on a 24×5 basis – from Sunday at 8 p.m. ET through Friday at 8 p.m. ET – a prerequisite for any major exchange to process overnight trades with the same settlement guarantees that apply during regular hours.
Bruce Markets’ September 29, 2026 announcement pushes the frontier further still, to the weekend, a gap no U.S. venue has previously filled.
The SEC has taken notice, hosting a roundtable on September 17, 2026 to examine the U.S. march toward 24-hour equity markets, with SEC Chairman Paul S. Atkins having stated in July that the expansion of trading hours was a priority focus.
For advisors, the practical implications are significant. Clients accustomed to reading Sunday news about geopolitical events, earnings updates, or macroeconomic data – and waiting until Monday’s open to act – may soon be able to trade in real time. That shift in client behavior will require advisors to think carefully about weekend communication protocols, order management, and risk oversight.
Jason Wallach, CEO of Bruce Markets, said the expansion addresses a structural gap the industry has long acknowledged. “Market-moving news does not wait for Monday’s open, and soon, neither will investors. Together with our partners, we are breaking down the limitations of traditional market structure and redefining how the world trades.”
Not everyone is convinced
The industry push toward 24/7 trading is not without its critics and their concerns are ones advisors should understand before fielding client questions.
A Crisil Coalition Greenwich study published in March 2026 found that just 14 percent of institutional equity traders support the idea of 24/7 or around-the-clock trading, while 60 percent reported no interest in trading outside traditional market hours. Traders also warned that extended hours could fragment liquidity, negatively affect execution quality, and create new operational and human-capital challenges.
Those findings carry weight for the advisor community. Extended-hours sessions – including the overnight window Bruce ATS already operates, running from 8:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. ET – tend to see wider bid-ask spreads and thinner liquidity than standard market sessions.
Weekend trading is unlikely to be different, at least initially. Retail investors on platforms like Robinhood may arrive at a weekend trade believing they’re executing at a fair price, only to discover the spread in a thinly traded Saturday session tells a different story.
Steve Quirk, chief brokerage officer at Robinhood Markets, framed the case for expanded access plainly: “Market-moving news can break at any moment, including over the weekend. With 24/7 trading, Robinhood customers will soon be able to trade equities around the clock, seven days a week, so they can manage their portfolios in real time and trade on their own schedule.”
Regulatory approval remains the key variable
The weekend launch is contingent on SEC review, and regulators have historically moved carefully on changes of this magnitude. The SEC and FINRA will need to assess how weekend trading intersects with existing surveillance, settlement, and investor protection frameworks.
Jenny Just, co-founder and managing partner at PEAK6 Investments, offered the broader argument for structural change: “The world doesn’t take weekends off, and now neither will the markets. This is the end of the five-day market.”
That may prove to be the case. But advisors would be wise to monitor the regulatory timeline closely and begin preparing client communications now, because when the weekend bell rings for the first time, clients will be asking what to do next.
By 2026, Robinhood already supports more than 1,000 symbols in overnight sessions, a sign of how quickly retail appetite for extended-hours access has matured and a preview of how quickly weekend demand could follow.
