CMC Markets has rolled out full 24-hour US equity trading to its CMC Invest platform, now accepting fractional share orders and all order types including market orders during overnight sessions. The London-listed broker had previously extended trading hours to more than 5,000 US stocks and ETFs in July but restricted CMC Invest clients to pre- and post-market access only. The new arrangement allows UK retail investors to execute small fractional orders outside New York hours at displayed prices rather than waiting for conditional orders that may not fill.
The move sets CMC apart from most retail competitors in the overnight US equity space. Robinhood pioneered 24-hour retail trading in 2023 but still limits overnight access to whole-share limit orders only, while Interactive Brokers routes around 10,000 securities through its own venue backed by Blue Ocean ATS liquidity. Most brokers connecting to Blue Ocean inherit venue-level restrictions requiring limit orders for overnight sessions. CMC only introduced fractional shares on its UK platform two months ago alongside zero commission on UK and European share CFDs, narrowing the competitive gap between investing and leveraged products.
The broader UK market has been extending US trading windows steadily. IG expanded to near-continuous trading on 110 US stocks in September 2025, while Charles Schwab now offers 24/5 access on over 1,100 securities for US retail clients.
FXnCO Insight
Brokers offering unrestricted order types and fractional sizing in extended sessions gain differentiation in an increasingly commoditised retail equity market where access windows alone no longer distinguish competitors.
Source: Finance Magnates