The NYSE is extending its hours beginning Monday, opening two new trading sessions from 7:30 a.m. to 9:25 a.m. EDT and from 4 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. EDT.

Oct. 19 (UPI) -- The New York Stock Exchange announced on Monday that it is extending its trading hours for heavily traded stocks.

The NYSE is extending its hours beginning Monday, opening two new trading sessions from 7:30 a.m. to 9:25 a.m. EDT and from 4 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. EDT. Twenty-five single stocks and five exchange-traded funds will be eligible for trade for extended hours.

Major stocks that will have expanded trade availability include Nvidia, Alphabet, Amazon, Oracle and Bank of America.

"Markets have changed tremendously over the years, and that kind of progress only happens when you keep investing in your technology," Kevin Tyrrell, chief product officer for the NYSE, said in a statement. "Extended trading hours for options reflects market demand for investment opportunities and reliable risk management during a longer period of time, and as we look ahead to bringing the same approach to equities in December, we'll continue to treat innovation as the foundation for growth."

The appetite and demand for a 24-hour trading cycle continues to grow, thanks in part to technological innovations such as cryptocurrency exchanges. CBOE research found that extended hours trading is more popular than ever with 199,000 contracts being traded on average each day.

Day one of the NYSE's new extended hours was not remarkably active with less than $100,000 in contracts being moved.