CMC Markets Extends 24/5 US Equity Trading and Fractional Shares to CMC Invest

Full Overnight Access with Every Order Type

CMC Markets announced on Thursday that it has extended its 24/5 US share trading window to CMC Invest, the retail investing arm of the London-listed broker. The key difference from the company's earlier rollout in July—when it expanded the 24/5 book to over 5,000 US stocks and ETFs but restricted CMC Invest to pre- and post-market dealing—is that the platform now accepts every order type the broker offers, including market orders, during both the extended and overnight sessions.

For a UK-based investor, the practical effect is significant: a small position in a US-listed name can now be executed outside the regular New York session at the displayed price, rather than being lodged as a conditional instruction that might never trigger. CMC Markets noted that this combination—fractional shares trading alongside full order-type flexibility in the overnight window—is uncommon among retail brokers offering extended US hours.

Competitive Landscape and Venue Constraints

The overnight US trading space has been expanding across the UK market over the past year, which means the distinctive elements of CMC's announcement are the fractional-share ticket and the open order-type access rather than the extended hours themselves.

Robinhood, for instance, launched a retail overnight session in 2023 covering 43 stocks and ETFs, but restricted participation to whole-share limit orders and excluded fractional positions entirely. The limitation traces back to the trading venue: Blue Ocean ATS, which processes the majority of US overnight volume, only accepts limit orders valid for that specific session. Brokers connected to Blue Ocean inherit this constraint. Interactive Brokers, for example, routes approximately 10,000 US stocks and ETFs into the 8:00 p.m. to 3:50 a.m. Eastern Time window through its own venue backed by Blue Ocean liquidity.

IG expanded its offering in September 2025, placing 110 US stocks on a schedule running from 1:00 a.m. Monday to 10:00 p.m. Friday across both investing and leveraged accounts, an increase from its previous 16-hour day. Charles Schwab has since moved more than 1,100 securities, including S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 constituents, onto a 24/5 schedule for all US retail clients.

Laurence Booth, global head of markets at CMC Markets, framed the move by noting that US markets continue to move after the core session ends, implying that investors should not be locked out of those price movements.

Fractional Shares and Commission-Free Structure

The second pillar of the announcement is the fractional-share capability, which CMC introduced on its UK platform in July. Positions can be opened from as little as GBP 1 and are available across ISAs, SIPPs, and general investment accounts. The launch was accompanied by the removal of commissions on UK and European share CFDs, narrowing the pricing gap between pure investing and leveraged trading within the same account.

Lachlan Rourke-Davies, senior product manager at CMC Markets, described the pairing as enabling clients to invest the amount that suits their circumstances.

Fees, Currency Spreads, and Strategic Rationale

Although CMC markets its investing products as 0% commission, the company notes that other charges apply. CMC Invest lists no dealing commission on any of its three subscription tiers. The primary cost for a US equity trade is currency conversion: the published fee schedule shows a spread of up to 0.99% on the entry-level Core plan, 0.50% on Plus, and 0.39% on Premium. The two paid tiers carry monthly subscriptions of up to GBP 6.99 and GBP 10.99 respectively. Notably, buying a fractional slice of a US share overnight incurs the same currency spread as a whole-share trade.

Strategically, CMC Invest was launched in 2022 to broaden the group's revenue base beyond contracts for difference. The parent company reported pre-tax profit of GBP 101.3 million for the year to 31 March 2026, a 20% increase on net operating income of GBP 392.6 million. Guidance for the current fiscal year points to further growth, and the investing platform is where CMC has been adding features to reach that target.