Knowing when a market is open explains a lot of what you see on a quote page: why a price is not moving, why the “change” looks odd early in the morning, or why a chart has gaps. This page covers US trading sessions, exchange holidays and the hours of other major markets.
US stock market hours
The New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq share the same regular trading session: 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday to Friday, excluding exchange holidays. The official opening and closing prices are set by auctions at the start and end of that session.
| Session | Eastern Time (ET) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-market | As early as 4:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. | Available hours depend on the venue and your broker; many brokers start later than 4:00 a.m. |
| Regular session | 9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. | Opening and closing auctions set the official open and close. |
| After-hours | 4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. | Earnings releases often land here; liquidity is thinner and spreads wider. |
Eastern Time switches between EST (UTC−5) and EDT (UTC−4) with US daylight saving time. Because Europe changes its clocks on different dates, the gap between New York and London or Paris is briefly an hour shorter than usual for a few weeks each spring and autumn.
Some brokers and alternative trading systems also offer overnight trading in selected US stocks and ETFs. Prices in those sessions come from a small number of venues and can differ noticeably from the next regular-session open.
Why extended-hours prices look different
- Fewer participants. Volume outside regular hours is a fraction of the daytime level, so a single order can move the price.
- Wider spreads. The gap between bid and ask widens, which makes the “last price” less representative.
- Different reference points. Some sites calculate the pre-market change from the previous close, others show it separately from the regular-session change.
- Limit orders only. Many brokers accept only limit orders in extended sessions.
US stock market holidays 2026 and 2027
NYSE and Nasdaq close on the following days. When a holiday falls on a Saturday, the market usually closes on the preceding Friday; when it falls on a Sunday, on the following Monday.
| Holiday | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Thursday, January 1, 2026 | Friday, January 1, 2027 |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Day | Monday, January 19, 2026 | Monday, January 18, 2027 |
| Washington's Birthday (Presidents' Day) | Monday, February 16, 2026 | Monday, February 15, 2027 |
| Good Friday | Friday, April 3, 2026 | Friday, March 26, 2027 |
| Memorial Day | Monday, May 25, 2026 | Monday, May 31, 2027 |
| Juneteenth National Independence Day | Friday, June 19, 2026 | Friday, June 18, 2027 (observed) |
| Independence Day | Friday, July 3, 2026 (observed) | Monday, July 5, 2027 (observed) |
| Labor Day | Monday, September 7, 2026 | Monday, September 6, 2027 |
| Thanksgiving Day | Thursday, November 26, 2026 | Thursday, November 25, 2027 |
| Christmas Day | Friday, December 25, 2026 | Friday, December 24, 2027 (observed) |
Early closes (1:00 p.m. ET) are normally scheduled on the day after Thanksgiving and on Christmas Eve when it falls on a weekday — in 2026 that is Friday, November 27 and Thursday, December 24. Exchanges occasionally add or change closures (for example for national days of mourning), so confirm dates against the official NYSE and Nasdaq holiday calendars before relying on them.
Bond markets follow a separate calendar set by SIFMA and close on some days when stock markets are open, such as Columbus Day and Veterans Day.
Major world stock exchange hours
Local times for regular continuous trading; most exchanges also run opening and closing auctions.
| Exchange | Regular hours (local time) |
|---|---|
| Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) | 9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. ET |
| London Stock Exchange | 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. UK time |
| Euronext (Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels and others) | 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. CET |
| Deutsche Börse Xetra (Frankfurt) | 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. CET |
| Tokyo Stock Exchange | 9:00 – 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 – 3:30 p.m. JST |
| Hong Kong Exchanges (HKEX) | 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. HKT |
Cryptocurrencies trade 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and the spot foreign-exchange market trades around the clock from Sunday evening to Friday evening (New York time). That is why BTCUSD keeps moving on a weekend while stock charts are flat.
What this means on a ticker page
- Outside regular hours, the price on a ticker page may be the last regular-session close, an extended-hours price, or a delayed value — check the label and time stamp.
- Daily charts skip weekends and holidays, so there are no bars for those days; see how to read a stock chart.
- On a market holiday, a free quote service showing “0.00%” change is usually correct, not broken.
Frequently asked questions
What time does the stock market open and close?
The NYSE and Nasdaq regular session runs from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday to Friday, except on exchange holidays. Pre-market trading can start as early as 4:00 a.m. ET and after-hours trading runs until 8:00 p.m. ET, depending on the venue and broker.
Is the stock market open on weekends?
No. US stock exchanges are closed on Saturdays and Sundays. Cryptocurrencies trade every day, and some brokers offer limited overnight trading on weekdays, but there is no regular weekend stock session.
Is the stock market open on Good Friday?
No. Good Friday is an NYSE and Nasdaq holiday even though it is not a US federal holiday. In 2026 it falls on April 3.
Why is pre-market price different from the open?
Pre-market trading has far fewer participants and wider spreads, and the official opening price is set by the opening auction, which brings together many more orders. The two can differ significantly, especially after news.
This page is general educational content and not investment advice. See the Disclaimer.