The stock market follows a fixed schedule, and you can check whether it is open right now by looking at the day of the week and the time

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and NASDAQ — the two largest U.S. stock markets — are open Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. They are closed on weekends and on specific federal holidays. If today is a weekday and it is between 9:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. ET, the market is open. If it is before 9:30 a.m., after 4:00 p.m., or a Saturday or Sunday, the market is closed.

The market also closes on certain holidays even when they fall on a weekday. These closures happen on the same dates every year, so you can plan ahead. A few holidays cause the market to close early — at 1:00 p.m. ET instead of the normal 4:00 p.m. — rather than closing all day.

Key Takeaways

  • The NYSE and NASDAQ are open Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
  • The market is closed on all federal holidays, including New Year's Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
  • The market closes early at 1:00 p.m. ET on the day after Thanksgiving and on Christmas Eve (if it falls on a weekday).
  • You can check the NYSE or NASDAQ websites directly for their official holiday calendar and any unscheduled closures.

The regular trading week and hours

Regular trading hours are 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday. This applies to both the NYSE and NASDAQ. Before the official open at 9:30 a.m., there is a pre-market session from 4:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. ET where some trading happens, but volume is much lower and spreads are wider. After the official close at 4:00 p.m., there is an after-hours session from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET with similarly thin trading.

If you are checking whether the market is open "right now," the time zone matters. Eastern Time is the official reference. If you are in a different time zone, you need to convert. For example, 9:30 a.m. ET is 8:30 a.m. Central Time, 7:30 a.m. Mountain Time, and 6:30 a.m. Pacific Time.

Full market closures on federal holidays

The market is closed all day on these holidays, regardless of what day of the week they fall on:

  • New Year's Day (January 1)
  • Martin Luther King Jr. Day (third Monday in January)
  • Presidents' Day (third Monday in February)
  • Good Friday (varies each year, typically in March or April)
  • Memorial Day (last Monday in May)
  • Juneteenth (June 19)
  • Independence Day (July 4)
  • Labor Day (first Monday in September)
  • Thanksgiving Day (fourth Thursday in November)
  • Christmas Day (December 25)

When a holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the market is already closed, so no special rule applies. When a holiday falls on a weekday, the market simply does not open that day.

Early closures at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time

On two days each year, the market closes at 1:00 p.m. ET instead of 4:00 p.m. ET. These are the day after Thanksgiving (the Friday after the fourth Thursday in November) and Christmas Eve (December 24, if it falls on a weekday). Pre-market and after-hours sessions do not occur on these days either.

If you are planning to trade on these days, mark them on your calendar. Many traders close out positions before the early close to avoid holding overnight risk.

How to verify the market status on any given day

The most reliable way to check is to visit the official websites of the NYSE or NASDAQ. The NYSE publishes its holiday calendar at nyse.com under "Market Information" or "Holiday Calendar." NASDAQ does the same at nasdaq.com. Both sites list the full year's schedule and note any unscheduled closures or changes.

You can also call the exchanges directly. The NYSE has a main line and the NASDAQ has a customer service line, though these are primarily for institutional inquiries. For individual traders, checking the website is faster and more practical.

Financial news sites like CNBC, Bloomberg, and MarketWatch also display the market status prominently during trading hours and will note when the market is closed or about to close.

What happens if you try to trade when the market is closed

If you place a trade order through your brokerage when the market is closed, the order will not execute immediately. Instead, it will be held as a pending order and will execute when the market opens the next trading day — usually at or near the opening price, depending on the order type you selected.

If you place a market order (an order to buy or sell at the current price) after hours, it will sit until the market opens. If you place a limit order (an order to buy or sell only at a specific price), it will remain active until the market opens and may execute at your limit price or not at all, depending on whether the stock reaches that price.

Some brokerages allow trading during pre-market and after-hours sessions, but the prices can move much more sharply and the bid-ask spread (the difference between the buy and sell price) is often wider. Most individual traders avoid these sessions because of the higher risk and lower liquidity.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the stock market open on Presidents' Day?

No. Presidents' Day is a federal holiday and the market is closed all day. The market is closed on all federal holidays, even though some people still work. Mark it on your calendar if you plan to trade around that time.

Can I trade during pre-market hours?

Some brokerages allow it, but most individual traders do not. Pre-market trading runs from 4:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. ET and has much lower volume and wider spreads, meaning you may pay more to buy or receive less when you sell. Check with your brokerage to see if they offer pre-market access.

What time does the market close on the day after Thanksgiving?

The market closes at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the Friday after Thanksgiving, not the usual 4:00 p.m. This is one of only two days per year with an early close. Plan accordingly if you trade on that day.

Does the market close for weather or emergencies?

Very rarely. The NYSE and NASDAQ have closed for weather only a handful of times in their history, most notably during Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Unscheduled closures are announced immediately on the exchanges' websites and through financial news outlets.

What if a holiday falls on a weekend?

The market is already closed on weekends, so no additional closure is needed. For example, if Christmas falls on a Saturday, the market is closed that day anyway. No makeup day is observed.