Yo, listen up! Frank Debt Bulldozer here, credit crusher and professional debt dismantler. I used to swing a hammer, now I swing at bad economic ideas. And lemme tell ya, this 24/7 stock trading nonsense? It’s a demolition waiting to happen. I’m still paying off my own student loans, sheesh, don’t even get me started, but I know a bad foundation when I see one, and this whole thing is built on sand.

You see these fintech companies, Robinhood and the big boys like Schwab and Nasdaq, they’re all hot and bothered about keeping the market open all the time. “More opportunities!” they yell. “Increased liquidity!” They’re selling you a dream, brothers, a mirage in the desert of finance. But what they’re *really* doing is opening the door to a whole heap of trouble. *The Economist* gets it, see? They’re saying going back to regular workin’ hours might actually *improve* efficiency and fairness. Think about it.

The biggest problem? Liquidity. Or, more accurately, the *lack* of it. During normal trading hours, you got a whole lotta folks in the game, buyin’ and sellin’, pushin’ prices around, keepin’ things honest. But when the sun goes down, and most folks are sleepin’, the market thins out. It’s like tryin’ to build a skyscraper on a foundation of toothpicks. You try to sell, nobody’s there to buy. You try to buy, the price gets jacked up. That’s slippage, and it’ll eat your profits alive. Even the big guys, Schwab, they can’t magically conjure up buyers in the middle of the night. It just means the little guy, the retail investor, gets steamrolled. They become easy pickings for the sharks. It’s a rigged game, and 24/7 trading just makes the rigging more obvious.

And it doesn’t stop there. This constant access to the market? It’s a breeding ground for bad decisions. We’re talkin’ impulse trades, emotional investing, the whole nine yards. The stock market is volatile enough as it is. Now you want to throw gasoline on the fire by letting people trade at 3 AM when they’re half-asleep and fueled by caffeine and bad news? It’s a recipe for disaster. People chase gains, panic sell at the wrong time, and generally make a mess of their finances. *The New York Times* is worried about scammers, and rightfully so. 24/7 trading gives them more opportunities to exploit fear and greed. It’s like leaving the bank vault open all night and hoping nobody notices. Plus, constantly watchin’ the market fluctuate? It’s bad for your mental health, brothers. Stress, anxiety, sleepless nights… is that really worth a few extra trades?

Now, let’s talk about oversight. The SEC, they’re supposed to be the cops on the beat, makin’ sure everything’s on the level. But how can they effectively monitor the market when it’s open 24 hours a day? It’s like tryin’ to guard a city that never sleeps. Market manipulation, fraud, system failures… the risks skyrocket. And don’t even get me started on cyberattacks. A compromised trading system in the middle of the night could send shockwaves through the entire financial system. SSRN articles point out that friction – those normal trading hours – actually *helps* the system. Reducing trading time and settlement times? That’s just adding more risk. It’s like takin’ the safety features off a power tool.

Sure, you’ll hear some folks, especially those young guns on Robinhood and Reddit, sayin’ 24/7 trading is a good thing. They talk about arbitrage opportunities, makin’ money off the low liquidity. But that’s a game for professionals, brothers. It requires skill, knowledge, and a stomach for risk. Most folks just end up losin’ their shirts. They’re playin’ with fire, and they’re gonna get burned.

Look, I’m not sayin’ *never* extend trading hours. Maybe for specific situations, it could be useful. But to make it the norm? That’s a mistake. It’s a dangerous experiment with potentially devastating consequences. We need to prioritize stability, fairness, and investor protection. We need to build a financial system that works for everyone, not just the high-frequency traders and the overnight gamblers.

The job’s done, brothers. This 24/7 trading idea? It needs to be demolished. It’s a bad foundation, a shaky structure, and it’s gonna come crashin’ down if we’re not careful. And Frank Debt Bulldozer? I’m here to make sure it does.