The stock market closes at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on regular trading days

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and NASDAQ — the two largest U.S. stock exchanges — both stop accepting trades at 4:00 p.m. ET Monday through Friday. This is the official closing time, and it does not change based on the day or season. If you are on the West Coast, that is 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time. If you are in Central Time, it is 3:00 p.m.

The market opens at 9:30 a.m. ET each trading day. Between 9:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. ET, you can buy and sell stocks during what is called regular trading hours. After 4:00 p.m., the exchanges are closed, though some brokers allow trading in what is called the after-hours market until 8:00 p.m. ET — but prices are often wider apart and fewer traders are active.

Key Takeaways

  • The NYSE and NASDAQ close at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time every trading day, which is 1:00 p.m. Pacific and 3:00 p.m. Central.
  • The market does not trade on weekends or on federal holidays, so there is no closing time on those days.
  • After-hours trading runs from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET on most brokers, but prices move differently and fewer buyers and sellers are present.
  • You can find the exact closing time and today's market summary on the NYSE or NASDAQ websites, or through your brokerage account.

When the market is closed and does not trade

The stock market does not trade on Saturdays and Sundays. It also closes on federal holidays, which include New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. On these days, there is no closing time because the market never opens.

On the day after Thanksgiving (the Friday after the holiday), the market opens at 9:30 a.m. ET but closes early at 1:00 p.m. ET instead of the usual 4:00 p.m. The day before Christmas, if it falls on a weekday, also closes at 1:00 p.m. ET. These are the only two days in the year when the regular closing time shifts.

How to find what time the market closed today

The fastest way to confirm today's closing time is to visit the official websites: nyse.com or nasdaq.com. Both display the market status and closing time prominently on their home pages. If the market is closed, the site will say so. If it is open, you will see the current time and how many minutes remain until 4:00 p.m. ET.

Your brokerage account — whether you use Fidelity, Charles Schwab, E*TRADE, or another firm — also shows the market status in real time. Most brokers display a clock or banner that says "Market Open" or "Market Closed" and the time until close. Financial news sites like CNBC, Bloomberg, MarketWatch, and Yahoo Finance also show the market clock and today's closing time at the top of their pages.

What happens at the closing bell

At exactly 4:00 p.m. ET, the exchanges stop accepting new buy and sell orders. Any order you place after 4:00 p.m. will not execute until the next trading day at 9:30 a.m. ET — unless your broker offers after-hours trading and you specifically place an after-hours order.

The closing price of each stock is the last price at which it traded during regular hours. This closing price is what you see reported in the news and what most people refer to when they talk about a stock's price. After-hours trades happen at different prices and are not counted as the official closing price.

After-hours trading and extended hours

Some brokers allow you to trade from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET in the after-hours market. This is not run by the NYSE or NASDAQ — it is a separate network where traders can still buy and sell. However, after-hours trading has much lower volume, meaning fewer buyers and sellers are active. This can make prices jump more dramatically and spreads (the difference between the buy and sell price) wider.

Not all stocks trade in after-hours. Smaller or less popular stocks may have no after-hours activity at all. If you place an after-hours order, it may not fill, or it may fill at a very different price than you expected. Most individual investors do not trade after-hours because of these risks.

Pre-market trading before the opening

Before the regular market opens at 9:30 a.m. ET, some brokers allow pre-market trading starting at 4:00 a.m. ET. Like after-hours trading, pre-market has lower volume and wider spreads. Orders placed in pre-market may not fill, or may fill at prices far from the previous day's close.

Pre-market trading is also not official — the opening price at 9:30 a.m. ET is what counts as the day's first official price. If you are new to trading, it is safer to place orders during regular hours when the market is most active and prices are most stable.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the stock market close at different times on different days?

No, the regular closing time is always 4:00 p.m. ET Monday through Friday. The only exceptions are the day after Thanksgiving and the day before Christmas, when the market closes at 1:00 p.m. ET. On weekends and federal holidays, the market does not open at all.

Can I sell my stocks after 4:00 p.m.?

Yes, if your broker offers after-hours trading. You can place orders from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET, but prices are less stable and orders may not fill. Most brokers require you to enable after-hours trading in your account settings before you can use it.

What time does the market close on the West Coast?

The market closes at 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time, which is the same moment as 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The closing time is the same worldwide — only the local time on your clock changes.

If I place an order at 3:59 p.m. ET, will it go through?

Yes. Any order placed before 4:00 p.m. ET will be accepted and will execute during regular hours. Orders placed at or after 4:00 p.m. will not execute until the next trading day at 9:30 a.m., unless you specifically place an after-hours order with your broker.