Robinhood Markets is preparing to expand retail equity trading into the weekend, marking a significant change from the traditional structure of U.S. stock markets. Customers will soon be able to trade a selected list of stocks and exchange-traded funds during the weekend, extending the platform’s existing trading schedule.

The new service will operate from Sunday evening through Friday evening in New York, with weekend orders routed through a trading venue operated by Bruce Markets. Robinhood brokerage chief Steve Quirk said the initiative reflects the reality that market-moving news can occur outside conventional exchange hours.

Weekend Trading Could Change Retail Market Access

U.S. equity markets have traditionally operated from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. Robinhood’s weekend offering challenges that long-established structure by allowing selected securities to remain tradable when conventional markets are closed.

The development also comes as other exchanges explore significantly longer operating schedules. Nasdaq, the New York Stock Exchange and 24x National Exchange are preparing extended sessions, with some plans targeting trading for as much as 23 hours a day, five days a week.

Nasdaq, for example, plans to introduce an additional overnight session running from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. The broader direction suggests that electronic trading infrastructure is gradually making traditional market-hour limitations less restrictive.

Robinhood Expands Its Derivatives Offering

Weekend equities are only one part of Robinhood’s latest product expansion. The company is also introducing contracts linked to corporate earnings, developed by Cboe Global Markets. These instruments would allow investors to take positions based on whether a company exceeds a specified performance measure, such as vehicle sales at Tesla.

The earnings-linked contracts are expected to become available in the coming weeks, subject to final Securities and Exchange Commission approval, according to the source.

Perpetual Futures Bring Crypto Leverage

Robinhood is also preparing to offer perpetual futures linked to selected cryptocurrencies. Unlike traditional futures contracts, perpetual futures do not have an expiration date. The company said some contracts will offer leverage of up to 10 times.

The products will be provided through Bitstamp, the cryptocurrency exchange owned by Robinhood. The expansion gives customers another way to access derivatives while extending the company’s presence across both traditional and digital asset markets.

Bruce Markets Becomes Part of the Weekend Infrastructure

The weekend equity launch depends on Robinhood’s relationship with Bruce Markets, which will operate the trading venue used to route customer orders. Robinhood and Peak6 Investments, Bruce Markets’ majority owner, are providing an undisclosed capital injection to help support the launch.

Bruce Markets CEO Jason Wallach described the partnership as an effort to reduce limitations created by traditional market structures. The arrangement illustrates how alternative trading venues could become increasingly important as retail brokers seek to provide access outside conventional exchange schedules.

A Return to an Older Market Practice?

Although weekend stock trading may appear to be a new concept, the source notes that U.S. markets previously operated on Saturdays. SEC Commissioner Mark Uyeda said New York financial markets maintained Saturday trading for roughly eight decades before ending the practice in 1952.

Robinhood’s planned weekend access therefore represents both a technological expansion and, in some respects, a return to an earlier feature of U.S. financial markets. The difference is that modern electronic infrastructure could allow weekend trading to be integrated into a broader digital market ecosystem.

What Could Come Next for U.S. Trading Hours?

Robinhood’s initiative arrives as retail investors gain access to increasingly sophisticated products and longer trading windows. The combination of weekend equities, cryptocurrency perpetual futures and earnings-linked contracts could further blur the traditional boundaries between regular sessions, extended hours and alternative markets.

The next test will be how customers use these products and how liquidity develops outside conventional trading hours. As major exchanges also expand their schedules, the U.S. market could gradually move toward a structure in which access to trading is available for substantially more hours of the week.