The stock market is closed on Black Friday
The U.S. stock market does not trade on Black Friday. The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the NASDAQ both close on this day, which falls on the day after Thanksgiving. This is a standing holiday closure, not a special circumstance — the market treats Black Friday the same way it treats Christmas, Independence Day, and other federal holidays.
If you hold stocks or have pending orders, nothing executes on Black Friday. Any trade you try to place will sit in your account until the market reopens on Monday morning. This matters most if you were planning to buy or sell based on Black Friday retail news or earnings announcements — you will have to wait until the following trading day.
Key Takeaways
- The NYSE and NASDAQ close entirely on Black Friday and do not reopen until Monday morning.
- Any buy or sell orders you place on Black Friday will not execute until the market reopens.
- The market also closes on Thanksgiving Day itself, so you lose two trading days in a row.
- Some brokerages allow after-hours or pre-market trading on other days, but not on official market holidays.
- Black Friday retail sales data and company announcements will not move stock prices until Monday's open.
When the market reopens after the Thanksgiving holiday
The stock market reopens on Monday following Thanksgiving weekend. This is the first full trading day after the holiday closure. If you placed orders on Thursday or Friday, they will begin to process at the market open on Monday morning, typically at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time.
The Monday reopening can see higher-than-normal trading volume because orders have accumulated over the weekend. Prices may move sharply based on news that broke while the market was closed, including Black Friday sales reports, retail earnings, or international market activity that happened over the weekend.
Other market closures around the holiday season
Black Friday is one of several closures in the November-December period. Thanksgiving Day itself (the fourth Thursday in November) also closes the market. This means you lose two consecutive trading days — Thursday and Friday — in a row.
Later in December, the market closes on Christmas Day. If Christmas falls on a weekend, the market may close on the adjacent weekday instead. New Year's Day also closes the market. Check your brokerage's holiday calendar if you are planning trades around these dates, because the exact closure dates can shift depending on which day of the week the holiday lands on.
How to plan trades around market closures
If you want to trade before a closure, place your orders during regular market hours on the last open trading day. For Black Friday, that means Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Your order will execute that day if it meets the current market price, or it will sit as a pending order until Monday's reopening.
Some brokerages offer extended-hours trading — pre-market sessions that start before 9:30 a.m. and after-hours sessions that run past 4 p.m. — but these do not operate on official market holidays. Black Friday is a full closure, not a shortened day. If you need to trade around the holiday, plan to do it on Wednesday or wait until Monday.
Why the market closes on Black Friday
The stock market observes federal holidays as a matter of standard practice. Thanksgiving is a federal holiday, and Black Friday, while not officially a federal holiday, is treated as a market closure by the NYSE and NASDAQ. This closure has been in place for decades and is unlikely to change.
The closure gives market staff time off and aligns trading with the broader U.S. holiday calendar. It also means that retail sales data from Black Friday does not immediately move stock prices — investors have to wait until Monday to react to the weekend's sales numbers and news.
What happens to international markets on Black Friday
International stock exchanges operate on their own holiday schedules. The London Stock Exchange, Tokyo Stock Exchange, and other major markets may be open while the U.S. market is closed. This means global stock prices can move overnight based on international trading activity.
If you own stocks in international companies or hold exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that track foreign markets, those positions can change in value while the U.S. market is closed. When the U.S. market reopens on Monday, it will reflect any price changes that happened overseas over the weekend.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I place a trade on Black Friday if I use my phone app?
You can place an order through your brokerage app on Black Friday, but it will not execute until the market reopens on Monday. The order sits in your account as pending. Some brokerages let you cancel pending orders before Monday's open if you change your mind.
What if I need to sell stock before Black Friday?
Place your sell order on Wednesday, the last trading day before Thanksgiving. If you wait until Thursday or Friday, your order cannot execute until Monday. If you are concerned about price movement over the weekend, you will need to sell before the market closes on Wednesday.
Do dividend payments happen on Black Friday?
Dividend payment dates are set in advance and do not change for market closures. If a dividend is scheduled to pay on Black Friday, it will still pay on that date — you will see the money in your account even though the market is closed. The ex-dividend date (the deadline to own the stock to receive the dividend) is always a trading day.
Is the market open on Thanksgiving Day itself?
No. Both Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday are market closures. You lose two trading days in a row. The market reopens on Monday morning.
Can I trade stocks on Black Friday through a different country's exchange?
If you have access to an international brokerage account, you may be able to trade on foreign exchanges while the U.S. market is closed. However, most U.S. retail investors use brokerages that only access U.S. exchanges, which are all closed on Black Friday. Check with your brokerage about whether international trading is available to you.