Oct 30 (Reuters) - Charles Schwab Corp ( SCHW ) plans to

expand the availability of 24-hour trading to include all stocks

in major U.S. indexes as well as hundreds of ETFs beginning in

about two weeks, the brokerage said in a statement on Wednesday.

The move comes amid burgeoning interest in extended hours

trading from retail investors that is driving some brokers and

exchanges to expand their offerings.

Last Friday, the New York Stock Exchange, a division of

Intercontinental Exchange ( ICE ), said it would file for

permission to extend its trading hours to 22 hours each business

day.

"About 90% of the customers we surveyed in our newest

Traders Sentiment Survey said they would be interested in

participating in 24-hour trading," said James Kostulias, head of

trading services at Schwab.

Kostulias said that the high level of interest seems to be

linked to the changing demographics of Schwab's client base.

Nearly 60% of the households that Schwab added as clients in the

first half of 2024 are headed by individuals under 40 years of

age.

"They seem particularly likely to have an expectation that

they will be able to trade any time, anywhere," Kostulias said.

Interactive Brokers ( IBKR ) launched its own overnight

trading platform a year ago, and has seen volumes in those

overnight sessions grow some 500% since then. Robinhood Markets

Inc. ( HOOD ) launched overnight trading in May 2023.

Others are hoping to get in on the action: 24Exchange, a

Bermuda-based platform backed in part by hedge fund manager

Steve Cohen, is also seeking regulatory approval to offer 24/7

trading in U.S. stocks.

Schwab said it plans a slow rollout of the expanded trading

capacity, starting with its most active traders, and won't begin

the process until the week after the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential

election.

The expanded trading capabilities will be powered by the

platform operated by Blue Ocean Technologies LLC, which also

underpins overnight trading for Robinhood Markets Inc. ( HOOD )

and other U.S. brokerages.

The rollout is expected to be completed midway through the

first quarter of 2025, by which time Schwab said clients will

have access to overnight trading in all stocks listed on the Dow

Jones Industrial Average, the Standard & Poor's 500 Index

and the Nasdaq 100 Index and hundreds of ETFs.

Currently, Schwab offers overnight trading in only about two

dozen ETFs.

Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler on

Monday told a conference that regulators' goals would include

ensuring these markets are transparent and that investors are

protected from "pockets of illiquidity."