The regular closing time for U.S. stock markets

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and NASDAQ close at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on every weekday. This is the official end of the regular trading day. If you place an order after 4:00 p.m., it will not execute until the next trading day opens at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time.

The closing time is the same year-round, even when daylight saving time changes. The market does not close earlier or later depending on the season. If you are on the West Coast, 4:00 p.m. Eastern is 1:00 p.m. Pacific. If you are in Central Time, it is 3:00 p.m.

After 4:00 p.m., trading continues in what is called the after-hours market, but volume is much lower and prices can move more dramatically. Most individual investors do not trade after hours because spreads are wider and fewer buyers and sellers are present.

Key Takeaways

  • The NYSE and NASDAQ close at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on weekdays, and orders placed after that time will not fill until the next day.
  • The closing time does not change for daylight saving time or any other reason during the year.
  • After-hours trading happens from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern, but most individual investors avoid it because prices are less stable and fewer traders are active.
  • The market is closed on weekends and on 11 federal holidays each year, including Thanksgiving and Christmas.

When the market opens and closes each week

The market opens at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time and closes at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday. This is a 6.5-hour trading day. The market does not open on Saturday or Sunday.

On the day before Thanksgiving, the market closes at 1:00 p.m. Eastern instead of 4:00 p.m. This is the only regular weekday when the closing time is different. On the day after Thanksgiving, the market is closed entirely.

If a federal holiday falls on a weekday, the market is closed that day. The 11 holidays when the NYSE and NASDAQ are closed are: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, the day after Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

After-hours trading and extended hours

After the regular market closes at 4:00 p.m., trading continues in the after-hours session until 8:00 p.m. Eastern. During this time, you can place orders through most brokers, but the market is much thinner. Fewer traders are active, so the bid-ask spread (the difference between what buyers will pay and what sellers will accept) is wider.

Before the regular market opens, there is also a pre-market session from 4:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Eastern. This session is even less active than after-hours trading. Most news and earnings announcements that move stock prices happen during regular hours, so pre-market and after-hours prices can be volatile and may not reflect what a stock will open at the next day.

Not all brokers offer after-hours or pre-market trading, and not all stocks can be traded during these times. Check with your broker to see whether extended-hours trading is available on your account.

Why 4:00 p.m. Eastern is the official closing time

The NYSE has used 4:00 p.m. as its closing time since 1985. Before that, the market closed at 3:00 p.m. The change was made to extend the overlap with European markets, which open in the morning U.S. time. A longer overlap means more opportunities for large institutional traders to move money between markets.

The 9:30 a.m. opening time has been in place since 1985 as well. The opening and closing times are set by the exchange itself, not by the government, though the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) oversees the markets and can propose changes.

The regular trading hours are designed to give all investors the same information at the same time. When the market closes, all traders see the final price for the day. This closing price is what appears in news reports and what most people refer to when they talk about how a stock performed.

What happens at the closing bell

At 3:59:30 p.m. Eastern (30 seconds before 4:00 p.m.), the exchange begins the closing auction. During this period, buy and sell orders are matched at a single price — the closing price. This is different from the rest of the day, when trades happen continuously at different prices.

The closing auction ensures that all trades at the close happen at the same price, which prevents manipulation and gives a fair final price for the day. After the closing auction ends at 4:00 p.m., no more regular-hours trades can occur.

The closing bell is a ceremonial sound, not a signal that stops trading. The bell rings at 4:00 p.m., but the actual closing of the market happens through the auction process in the seconds before.

How to know if the market is open or closed

The simplest way to check is to look at the current time and compare it to 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern. If it is within those hours on a weekday and not a federal holiday, the market is open. If it is outside those hours, on a weekend, or on a holiday, the market is closed.

Your broker's website or app will also show whether the market is open. Most brokers display a banner or notification that says "Market Open" or "Market Closed" and show the time until the next open or close.

Financial news websites like Yahoo Finance, MarketWatch, and CNBC also display the market status. If you are unsure whether a particular day is a trading day, check the NYSE holiday calendar on the exchange's official website.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I place a trade after 4:00 p.m.?

Yes, but it will not execute until the next trading day opens at 9:30 a.m. Eastern, unless you specifically place an after-hours order through your broker. After-hours orders may fill during the after-hours session (4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern), but they may not fill at all if there are no buyers or sellers at your price.

What if I place an order at 4:00 p.m. exactly?

If you place an order at exactly 4:00 p.m., it will be treated as an after-hours order if your broker supports after-hours trading. If your broker does not support after-hours trading, the order will be held and placed at the open the next day. Check your broker's rules to know which applies to your account.

Does the market close earlier on any day besides the day before Thanksgiving?

No. The day before Thanksgiving is the only regular weekday when the market closes at 1:00 p.m. instead of 4:00 p.m. On all other weekdays when the market is open, it closes at 4:00 p.m. Eastern.

What time does the market close on the West Coast?

The market closes at 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time, which is 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The closing time is the same everywhere in the United States; only your local time changes based on your time zone.