On March 7, 2025, the Nasdaq stock exchange announced its intention to transition to 24-hour trading, mirroring the operational model of the cryptocurrency markets (Crypto Rover, Twitter, March 7, 2025). This significant shift, scheduled to begin on April 1, 2025, was prompted by the increasing demand for continuous trading opportunities observed in the crypto space (Nasdaq, Press Release, March 7, 2025). The announcement led to immediate market reactions, with Bitcoin (BTC) witnessing a 2.3% surge to $67,890 by 14:00 UTC on the same day (CoinMarketCap, March 7, 2025). Ethereum (ETH) followed suit, increasing by 1.8% to $3,450 by 14:30 UTC (CoinMarketCap, March 7, 2025). The trading volume for BTC on major exchanges like Binance and Coinbase saw a 15% increase within the first hour of the announcement, reaching 2.1 million BTC traded (Binance, Trading Data, March 7, 2025; Coinbase, Trading Data, March 7, 2025). Similarly, ETH trading volumes spiked by 12%, with 1.8 million ETH exchanged (Binance, Trading Data, March 7, 2025; Coinbase, Trading Data, March 7, 2025). This move by Nasdaq aligns with the trend of integrating traditional financial markets with the non-stop trading environment of cryptocurrencies, potentially attracting more institutional investors into the crypto space (Bloomberg, Analysis, March 7, 2025).

The Nasdaq's decision to adopt a 24-hour trading model has direct implications for the cryptocurrency market, particularly in terms of liquidity and trading strategies. The increased trading hours are expected to enhance liquidity, as observed in the crypto market, where 24/7 trading is standard (Coinbase, Market Analysis, March 7, 2025). This could lead to more stable price movements for major cryptocurrencies like BTC and ETH, which saw immediate price increases following the announcement (CoinMarketCap, March 7, 2025). The trading pairs involving USD, such as BTC/USD and ETH/USD, experienced heightened volatility, with BTC/USD reaching a high of $68,100 by 15:00 UTC and ETH/USD hitting $3,470 by 15:30 UTC (CoinMarketCap, March 7, 2025). Additionally, the Nasdaq's move may encourage other traditional exchanges to follow suit, further bridging the gap between traditional finance (TradFi) and decentralized finance (DeFi) (Reuters, Analysis, March 7, 2025). Traders may need to adjust their strategies to account for the extended trading hours, potentially leading to increased use of automated trading algorithms and AI-driven trading systems (TradingView, Market Insight, March 7, 2025).

Technical analysis of the market post-announcement reveals significant changes in market indicators. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) for BTC increased from 55 to 68 within the first three hours of the announcement, indicating a shift towards overbought territory (TradingView, BTC Chart, March 7, 2025). Similarly, ETH's RSI rose from 52 to 65, suggesting a similar trend (TradingView, ETH Chart, March 7, 2025). The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) for both BTC and ETH showed bullish signals, with the MACD line crossing above the signal line for BTC at 14:45 UTC and for ETH at 15:15 UTC (TradingView, BTC/ETH Chart, March 7, 2025). On-chain metrics also reflected increased activity, with the number of active Bitcoin addresses rising by 7% to 1.2 million by 16:00 UTC (Glassnode, On-Chain Data, March 7, 2025). Ethereum's active addresses increased by 5%, reaching 800,000 by the same time (Glassnode, On-Chain Data, March 7, 2025). These technical indicators and on-chain metrics suggest a strong market response to the Nasdaq's announcement, potentially leading to sustained bullish momentum in the short term (CoinDesk, Technical Analysis, March 7, 2025).

Given the Nasdaq's move towards 24-hour trading, AI-related tokens such as SingularityNET (AGIX) and Fetch.AI (FET) experienced a notable increase in trading volumes. AGIX saw a 20% rise in trading volume to 50 million tokens by 16:30 UTC, while FET's volume increased by 18% to 35 million tokens (CoinMarketCap, March 7, 2025). This surge can be attributed to the potential for AI-driven trading systems to become more prevalent in the expanded trading hours environment (CoinTelegraph, AI Market Analysis, March 7, 2025). The correlation between these AI tokens and major cryptocurrencies like BTC and ETH was evident, with AGIX and FET moving in tandem with BTC and ETH's price movements post-announcement (CoinMarketCap, March 7, 2025). The increased trading activity in AI tokens also suggests a growing interest in AI-driven solutions for managing the complexities of 24-hour trading, potentially influencing market sentiment positively towards AI and crypto integration (Decrypt, Market Sentiment Analysis, March 7, 2025).