Stock Market Holidays 2022-2025 - Here's When the NYSE and NASDAQ Will be Closed There are a number of special rules that dictate when certain holidays are celebrated by financial markets and under what circumstances the stock market will be closed.

U.S. Stock Market Hours

The U.S. stock exchanges, including the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the NASDAQ Stock Market, are open to investors from Monday through Friday from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM Eastern Time.

• NASDAQ after-hours trading sessions are from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM Eastern Time.
• NYSE after-hours trading sessions are from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM Eastern Time.
• Pre-market trading hours are from 4:00 AM Eastern to 9:30 AM Eastern Time.
• The U.S. markets are closed on Saturdays and Sundays.
• Normal U.S. stock market hours occur from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM Eastern Time, Pre-market trading from 4:00 AM to 9:30 AM Eastern Time, and after hours trading from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM.

How Holidays Affect the Stock Market

Holidays can impact stocks and the U.S. stock market in several ways:

• The price of shares often rises or falls during holidays because of the number of active trades.
• Stock markets do well in January because investors feel more optimistic about the new year ahead or have more fresh capital available.
• Trading falls during summer because the largest traders go on vacation and reduce risk by selling volatile assets.
• The price of shares often rallies before a three-day holiday.

How Holidays Affect Trading Psychology

Holidays primarily affect investors in the U.S. stock market because they change their strategies and emotions around their investments.

Developing New Strategies

When the markets close, investors have more time to reflect on their investment strategies. An investor might read a financial journal to catch up on the latest news, reading about insider trades, NASDAQ biggest losers, or marketing activity. Catching up on the latest market news will create an overview of what is happening. An investor might also improve their financial literacy by reading a dividend investing guide to learn more about stocks to short, trading volumes, the most active stocks, or market liquidity. All this reflection about the market often gives investors insights on how to improve their investment strategy.

Renewing Optimism

Since holidays are typically happier times of the year, they can relieve the relentless stress of active trading. This positivity and optimism influence trading after the holidays.

Statistically, pre-holiday and post-holiday mood changes can affect equities. Stocks markets gain on the day before a holiday, and the volume of trading can be ten times larger after a holiday. However, these noticeable market trends only occur if the holiday involves a long weekend.

U.S. Stock Market Holidays FAQ

On which holidays is the U.S. stock market closed?
The U.S. stock market is closed on New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents Day (Washington's Birthday), Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth National Independence Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.

Does the U.S. stock market open on Monday?
The U.S. stock market has similar business hours to corporations. So, it is open for trading from Monday to Friday, unless it's a public holiday.

Does the U.S. stock market open on Veteran's Day?
Yes, both the NYSE and NASDAQ are open on Veteran's Day.

When does the U.S. stock market open Pacific time?
NYSE and NASDAQ both officially start trading hours at 9:30 AM Eastern Time, which is 6:30 AM Pacific Time.

When does the U.S. stock market close Pacific time?
NYSE and NASDAQ both officially close trading hours 4:00 PM Eastern Time, which is 1:00 PM Pacific Time.

What is the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)?
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), the largest securities market in the world, hosts 70 of the world's biggest corporations and 82 percent of the S&P 500. Traders buy or sell more than 9 million corporate stocks a day. New York Stock Exchange owns the NYSE Arca (previously called Archipelago Exchange) and NYSE MKT (previously called the American Stock Exchange).

What is NASDAQ?
NASDAQ, an acronym for the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations, founded by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), headquartered in New York, NY, offered the first electronic exchange in the world when it launched on February 8, 1971, allowing investors to use computers to quickly and transparently buy and sell stocks, obviating the need for a trading floor.

However, when traders talk about the NASDAQ, they are not always referring to the exchange itself, but to the NASDAQ Composite Index, a statistical measure of a part of the market. You can infer their meaning by the context of a statement. For instance, an online discussion about whether the NASDAQ is up or down for the day refers to the NASDAQ Composite Index.

NASDAQ owns NASDAQ BX (previously called the Boston Exchange), and NASDAQ PSX (previously called the Philadelphia Stock Exchange). In 2007, NASDAQ also acquired the Boston Stock Exchange (BSE) which includes the Boston Equities Exchange (BEX) and the Boston Options Exchange (BOX).

What are the various U.S. stock exchanges?
The three major stock exchanges are the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation System (NASDAQ), and the American Stock Exchange (AMEX). The other stock exchanges are the Boston Stock Exchange (BSE), the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), the Chicago Stock Exchange (CHX), the International Securities Exchange (ISE), the Miami Stock Exchange (MS4X), the National Stock Exchange (NSX), and the Philadelphia Stock Exchange (PHLX).

Do all the U.S. Stock Exchanges open at the same time?
Yes (mostly). The three major stock exchanges NYSE, NASDAQ, and the American Stock Exchange synchronize opening times with the other stock exchanges.

What are the pre-marketing hours of the NYSE?
The pre-market trading hours of the NYSE are from Monday through Friday, opening at 8.00 AM Eastern Time and closing at 9.30 AM Eastern Time.

What are the pre-market trading hours of the NASDAQ?
The pre-market trading hours of the NASDAQ are from Monday through Friday, opening at 8.00 AM Eastern Time and closing at 9.30 AM Eastern Time.

When are the U.S. stock exchanges shortened days?
The day before the 4th of July, U.S. stock exchanges open at 9.30 AM Eastern Time and close at 1.00 PM Eastern Time if it falls during the week. On Black Friday, which is the day after Thanksgiving, the U.S. stock exchanges open at 9.30 AM Eastern Time and close at 1.00 PM Eastern Time. On Christmas eve, U.S. stock exchanges open at 9.30 AM Eastern Time and close at 1.00 PM Eastern Time, if it falls during the week.

What are the best and worst months for trading based on holidays or other seasonal trends?
Because the summer months of June, July, and August is a time when many people take their vacations, seasoned traders dub it "The Big Drought." The worst month for trading in summer is August.

However, after summer, from September to December, the market rebounds. These are the best trading months of the year.

How long does it take for a trade to settle after a long holiday?
Since holidays do not slow down market operations, they do not affect settlement dates. Usually, settlements take two business days after the day your order executes. One helpful way to remember is to think of the abbreviation "T +2". So, an order executed on Monday will settle by Wednesday, or an order executed on Tuesday will settle by Thursday.

Do U.S. stock market hours affect a position in a foreign stock?
If you are an investor or trader with a position in foreign stock, remember that all countries have their own stock market holiday schedule. A foreign stock exchange may be open on days when the U.S. stock market is closed and vice versa.

Depending on the country, the same type of holiday may fall on different dates or the holiday may be entirely different. For example, Thanksgiving in the United States and Canada falls on different dates. In the United States, it falls on the fourth Thursday in November, but in Canada, it falls on the second Monday in October.

Although a Canadian civic holiday works similarly to a U.S. federal holiday, there are important differences. While both are public holidays, a Canadian civic holiday isn't statutory. Most employees take the day off, but some go to work. Canada also has federal holidays. For instance, Victoria Day to honor Queen Victoria's birthday is a federal public holiday.

When planning your trading strategies, adhere to stock market holiday dates by country.

Is the stock market closed on Christmas Day?
The stock market is closed on Christmas Day. In 2022, it will be closed for Christmas Day on Monday, December 26th, the observed Christmas holiday.

Stock Market Holidays

Knowing when the U.S. stock markets close before national holidays can have a significant impact on your trading strategy since share prices typically rally before a holiday. For example, big buys or sells occur before Thanksgiving - a seasonal trend analysts attribute to a more buoyant mood.

While, of course, there is no singular holiday trading strategy that promises a higher trading success rate, one popular idea traders favor is to buy shares a day or two before a holiday. This is because many traders reduce their risk by selling some of their riskier stocks to mitigate their financial risk. They sell their most volatile stocks because they want to be free to enjoy their holidays rather than hear bad news when they return. Since stock prices fall before a holiday, the pre-holiday days are a good time to buy promising equities at a bargain price.

Remembering the stock market holiday schedule is useful information that can help you prosper. However, when looking at the big picture, stock market holidays should remain a small part of your overall trading strategy.