Nasdaq’s New Monday & Wednesday Options Shake Up Mkt
Nasdaq Adds Monday and Wednesday Options — What It Means
Starting January 26, 2026, Nasdaq is expanding its options offerings by introducing short-term options (STOs) that expire on Mondays and Wednesdays — in addition to traditional weekly Friday expirations. This change affects several of the most widely traded big-tech stocks and a major Bitcoin-linked ETF, giving traders more flexibility and strategic opportunity.
🧠 What’s New in the Options Market
Historically, options on individual stocks have only expired on Fridays, limiting how traders could express short-term views or hedge around events. In response to strong demand for more granular derivatives exposure, Nasdaq has expanded its program to allow Monday and Wednesday expirations on select high-liquidity securities.
These new expirations are part of Nasdaq’s Short-Term Option Series Program, which targets contracts that expire within one week — popular among active traders looking to capitalize on weekly market moves.
📊 Eligible Stocks & ETF
The Monday and Wednesday STOs will be available on the following tickers:
- Big Tech Stocks:
Nvidia (NVDA), Tesla (TSLA), Apple (AAPL), Microsoft (MSFT), Alphabet (GOOGL), Meta Platforms (META), Amazon (AMZN), Broadcom (AVGO) - Bitcoin ETF:
iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT)
These securities were chosen based on strict criteria such as market capitalization, liquidity, and open interest, ensuring they can support frequent expiries without disrupting market structure.
📈 Why This Matters for Traders
This change adds meaningful flexibility for options traders and market participants:
- More frequent expiration opportunities: Traders can execute strategies that target short-term price movements without waiting for the traditional Friday expiry.
- Better risk management: The new expiries help hedge around mid-week events like macroeconomic releases and company news.
- Enhanced liquidity & price discovery: Increased expiration cadence may improve market depth and make pricing more efficient.
However, these short-term contracts tend to decay faster (higher theta) and can be more sensitive to price swings (gamma risk), so they’re generally best suited for experienced, active traders.
⚠️ Key Rules & Safeguards
To reduce extreme volatility:
- Nasdaq will not list these short-term options on Mondays or Wednesdays that coincide with a company’s earnings release.
- If an expiration date is already a regular monthly or quarterly expiry, additional STOs won’t be added on that day.
These measures aim to maintain orderly markets and help traders avoid unpredictably wide price swings around big news events.
🧩 What This Signals for the Market
Nasdaq’s expansion of short-term expiries reflects broader trends in derivatives markets where day-to-day trading strategies and 0DTE (zero-day-to-expiration) activity have grown rapidly. Traders seeking precise exposure to short-term catalysts — whether macroeconomic data or sector developments — now have more tools at their disposal.
As these innovations roll out, they may deepen market participation, especially among active and institutional traders, and could pave the way for further enhancements in options markets.
Final Thought
Nasdaq’s move to add Monday and Wednesday expirations isn’t just a technical tweak — it’s a shift toward more dynamic, flexible trading opportunities for some of the biggest stocks and assets on Wall Street. Traders who understand the nuances of time decay and event risks could find new ways to manage portfolios and target specific short-term outcomes.
Trade Nasdaq’s New Monday & Wednesday Options Today
With Nasdaq introducing Monday and Wednesday expiring options, having the right brokerage is essential to fully access these short-term trading opportunities.
Open a trading account with a broker that supports these new expirations and equips you with professional-grade tools, pricing, and execution:
- Saxo Markets – Advanced options analytics and global market access
- Webull – User-friendly platform with active trader features
- Longbridge Securities – Seamless access for global equities and options
- Tiger Brokers – Robust options trading tools and competitive commissions
👉 Open your trading account today and start trading Nasdaq’s latest options expirations with the flexibility and precision modern markets demand.