Stock Market Holidays 2026–2028: NYSE & NASDAQ Full Schedule

The US stock market is closed for 10 full holidays and has 2 early closing days in 2026. Both the NYSE and NASDAQ follow the same holiday schedule, so if one is closed, the other is too. Knowing these dates in advance helps you plan trades, manage pending orders, and avoid surprises — especially around long weekends when settlement timelines stretch and options expiration dates may shift.

Next closures: the market is closed Thursday, November 26, 2026 (Thanksgiving) and Friday, December 25, 2026 (Christmas), and closes early at 1:00 PM ET on Friday, November 27 and Thursday, December 24. The next full closure after that is Friday, January 1, 2027 (New Year’s Day).

Remaining 2026 Market Closures

Stock Market Holidays 2027

The NYSE has published its 2027 calendar: 10 full closures and 1 early close.

*Observed date: June 19, 2027 and December 25, 2027 fall on Saturday, and July 4, 2027 falls on Sunday. There is no Christmas Eve early close in 2027, and the market is open on Friday, December 31, 2027, because the NYSE does not observe New Year’s Day 2028 (a Saturday) on the preceding Friday.

Source: NYSE Holidays & Trading Hours, checked October 20, 2026.

Below is the complete 2026 schedule for market closures, early closes, bond market holidays, and extended trading hours.

Stock Market Holidays 2026

NYSE and NASDAQ holiday schedule

*July 4, 2026 falls on Saturday; market closed Friday, July 3

Good Friday is the only regularly scheduled NYSE holiday that is not a U.S. federal holiday. Every other closure corresponds to a federal holiday. Note that the stock market stays open on some federal holidays that close banks, most notably Columbus Day and Veterans Day — see the bond market section below for those differences.

When a holiday falls on a Saturday, the market usually closes on Friday. New Year’s Day is the exception: the NYSE does not observe it on the preceding Friday, which is why the market is open on December 31, 2027. When it falls on a Sunday, the market closes on Monday. In 2026, Independence Day (July 4) falls on a Saturday, so the market closes Friday, July 3.

Early Closing Days 2026

Market closes at 1:00 PM ET instead of 4:00 PM ET

Early closing days are not official holidays — the market still opens at 9:30 AM ET, but it shuts down three hours early at 1:00 PM ET. Volume is often lighter on these half-days, which can mean wider bid-ask spreads and less liquidity. If you’re executing larger trades, you may want to plan around these dates. Limit orders are particularly important on low-volume days to avoid unfavorable fills.

The bond market also closes early on these dates, but at 2:00 PM ET (one hour later than stocks). After-hours and pre-market sessions on early-close days can be shortened or inactive depending on your brokerage.

Monthly Calendar

This month-by-month view lets you quickly spot upcoming closures before placing trades, scheduling transfers, or rolling options positions. In 2026, three months have no stock market holidays: March, August, and October — the stock market is open every weekday in those months. (The bond market is closed on Columbus Day, October 12.) The busiest stretches are January through April (four full closures: New Year’s Day, MLK Day, Presidents Day and Good Friday) and the year-end period (Christmas falls on a Friday, with an early close the day before).

January 2026

February 2026

March 2026

April 2026

May 2026

June 2026

July 2026

August 2026

September 2026

October 2026

November 2026

November 2026 packs a full closure on Thursday and an early close on Friday into the same week, so Wednesday, November 25 is the last full trading day of that week. T+1 settlement means a trade made Wednesday settles Friday, since Thursday is a market holiday (Friday is an early-close day but still a business day). A Friday sale settles the following Monday, so if you need cleared funds by Monday, November 30, a sale as late as Friday, November 27 settles in time.

December 2026

The early close on December 24 and full closure on December 25 compress year-end trading significantly. Wednesday, December 23 is the last full trading day before Christmas. December 31 (New Year’s Eve) is a full trading day in 2026. Because New Year’s Day falls on Friday, January 1, 2027, markets are closed that day. Trading resumes Monday, January 4, 2027.

The longest stretch without a market holiday in 2026 runs from Labor Day (September 7) to Thanksgiving (November 26) — about eleven weeks. August has no market holidays at all. Markets can still be thinner around summer holidays, with wider spreads and more volatile price swings on lighter volume.

Stock Market Hours (Regular Days)

The regular trading session runs 6.5 hours per day, 5 days per week. In 2026, with 10 full closures and 2 early closes, there are 251 trading days (249 full sessions and 2 half-days) — roughly 1,626 hours of market time.

Extended Hours

Extended-hours trading depends on your brokerage — check whether and when it’s offered — and comes with important caveats. Liquidity is generally lower than during the regular session, which usually means wider spreads and harder-to-fill orders. Prices can be less reliable, stocks with limited trading can swing more than in regular hours, and many brokerages accept only limit orders. Mutual funds, including index mutual funds, don’t trade during extended hours at all (orders are priced at the next NAV); only individual stocks and ETFs are available.

Companies may announce earnings and other news outside regular hours (after the close or before the open), which can cause big price changes in extended trading. If you’re a long-term dollar-cost averaging investor rather than an active trader, extended hours are rarely necessary.

What Happens on Market Holidays?

When the stock market is closed, you cannot buy or sell stocks, ETFs, or options on any US exchange. However, you may still be able to place orders through your brokerage account — an order placed while the market is closed is subject to market conditions when it reopens, and handling varies by brokerage. Be careful with market orders placed over a holiday or weekend: prices can gap up or down at the open, so a limit order gives you more control over your execution price.

Mutual fund orders placed on a holiday are processed at the next business day’s closing NAV (net asset value). If you submit a mutual fund buy order on Thanksgiving Thursday, it is priced at the NAV calculated after Friday’s close, which comes early at 1:00 PM ET that day (or Monday’s close if Friday were also a holiday).

Bank transfers: ACH transfers don’t settle on weekends or federal holidays. If you initiate a transfer to your brokerage on a Wednesday before Thanksgiving, it can’t settle on Thanksgiving Day itself, so expect it to arrive a day or more later than usual. Plan deposits ahead of time if you want funds available for trading after a holiday.

Cryptocurrency markets generally trade around the clock, including on holidays, which is one key structural difference from traditional stock markets.

Bond Market Holidays 2026

The bond market (SIFMA-recommended schedule) observes more holidays and early closes than the stock market. This matters if you hold bonds or bond funds — the bond market follows a different holiday schedule than stocks.

*Bond market closed; stock market open

The two dates where the bond market is closed but stocks trade normally are Columbus Day (October 12) and Veterans Day (November 11). On these days, you can trade stocks normally on the NYSE and NASDAQ, but the bond market is closed. If you’re rebalancing your portfolio with a mix of stocks and bonds, be aware of these mismatched schedules.

Bond market early closes are usually at 2:00 PM ET (one hour later than stock market early closes at 1:00 PM ET); the Good Friday early close is at 12:00 PM ET. The bond market also has additional early closes — like the Friday before Memorial Day (May 22) — that don’t affect stocks.

International Market Holidays

If you invest internationally or hold international funds, foreign market closures can affect your portfolio. Major markets have their own holiday schedules, and some have significantly more closure days than the US.

Japan’s Golden Week holidays close the Tokyo exchange on several weekdays from late April to early May, and China’s exchanges close for a week or more around Chinese New Year and National Day. Chinese New Year typically falls in late January or February and shuts down the Shanghai and Shenzhen exchanges for about a week. If you hold emerging market ETFs or China-focused funds, NAV calculations during these closures may rely on the last available prices for those holdings.

The London Stock Exchange follows the bank holidays of England and Wales, which do not always overlap with US holidays. There are trading days each year where the US is open but the UK is closed (and vice versa).

Holiday Weekend Effects

Historical Patterns

Research on S&P 500 historical returns has documented a “pre-holiday effect,” where the trading day before a market holiday has historically produced slightly above-average returns. A study covering 1983 to 2019 found the effect now appears only among small firms. It is not a reliable trading strategy.

The “Santa Claus Rally” refers to the tendency for stocks to rise during the last five trading days of December and the first two trading days of January. This is a historical observation, not a guarantee — and the effect can be overwhelmed by macro events.

Note: Past patterns don’t predict future results. Long-term investors are generally better served by sticking to a consistent investment strategy rather than trying to trade around holidays.

Before a Market Holiday: What to Check

Knowing the schedule is only useful if it changes your behavior. Here is what to review ahead of each market closure, depending on how you invest:

Active traders and options holders:

• Check whether any open positions have options expiring near the holiday. Standard monthly options expire on the third Friday of the month; if that Friday is Good Friday, expiration shifts to the preceding Thursday. In 2026, Good Friday falls on April 3, before the third Friday, so the April monthly options expire on the normal date, Friday, April 17.
• Confirm limit orders and stop-losses are still active — brokerages typically limit how long a GTC (good-till-cancelled) order stays open, and the limit varies by firm. Check your brokerage’s specific policy.
• Bid-ask spreads can be wider on half-days when volume is thin, so a limit order gives you control over your price.

Long-term investors (buy-and-hold, index funds):

• If you have a recurring purchase scheduled on a holiday, check when your brokerage will process it, since the market is closed that day. Be aware of this if you’re tracking a specific purchase price.
• ACH transfers from your bank can take a few business days, and holidays don’t count as business days. If you want funds available for trading on the Tuesday after Labor Day, start the transfer early in the week before and check your brokerage’s cutoff times.

Dividend investors:

• If a dividend payment date falls on a market holiday, the company’s announcement will give the actual payment date. Track this if you rely on dividend income for cash flow.
• Ex-dividend dates fall on trading days, so check the company’s announced dates around a holiday; a trade made the day before a holiday settles one business day later, so after the holiday.

Retirement account investors (401k, IRA):

• Employer 401(k) contributions made on a holiday may be credited the next business day, but timing depends on the payroll provider, employer, and plan administrator. If your payroll runs on a day that falls on Thanksgiving, check when the contribution actually posts.
• IRA contribution deadlines (tax year) are not affected by market holidays — the deadline is the tax filing deadline (typically April 15), which is a separate calendar.

Settlement Considerations

Stock trades in the US settle on a T+1 basis (one business day after the trade). If you sell a stock on Wednesday before Thanksgiving, it settles on Friday (which is an early-close day but still a business day). If you sell on the Friday before a Monday holiday, settlement follows T+1 and lands on Tuesday, because the holiday does not count as a business day.

Dividend payment dates can move because of holidays, so check the company’s announced ex-dividend, record and payment dates. If a company’s regular dividend payment date falls on a market holiday, the payment date depends on the company’s terms, so check its announcement. This is worth noting if you’re tracking dividend income for cash flow purposes.

Options expiration follows the options calendar rather than stock settlement timing, but a market holiday on the usual expiration day can move the date. Standard monthly options expire on the third Friday of the month. If that Friday is a market holiday such as Good Friday, the expiration date moves, so check the Options Clearing Corporation or your broker’s expiration calendar for the exact day. In 2026, Good Friday falls on April 3, the first Friday of the month, so it does not affect the April monthly expiration on the third Friday, April 17.

Multi-Year Quick Reference (2026–2029)

Source: NYSE holiday schedule for 2026–2028 (checked October 20, 2026). The NYSE’s announced calendar runs through 2028; the 2029 column is projected from its usual holiday rules. All dates are the market closure date (observed when the holiday falls on a weekend).

*Observed date — holiday falls on a weekend; NYSE observes the adjacent weekday (Friday for Saturday, Monday for Sunday).

†New Year’s Day 2028 falls on Saturday, and the NYSE says no New Year’s Day holiday is observed. The market is open on Friday, December 31, 2027, and there is no New Year’s Day closure in the 2028 calendar year.

Early Closes (1:00 PM ET) 2026–2029

Markets open normally at 9:30 AM ET but close three hours early. Applies to NYSE and NASDAQ.

‡In 2026, July 3 is the full-day Independence Day closure (since July 4 is Saturday) — not an early close. In 2027, July 4 is a Sunday and the market closes Monday, July 5; the NYSE lists no early close before it.

§In 2027, December 24 is the full-day Christmas closure (since December 25 is Saturday) — not an early close. There is no Christmas Eve early close in 2027.

Good Friday’s date shifts the most year-to-year because it is based on the Easter calendar rather than a fixed date or “Nth weekday” formula. It can fall anywhere from late March to late April. In 2027, it moves back to March 26; in 2028, it shifts out to April 14 — the latest it appears in this four-year window.

Related: How to Start Investing | Best Brokerage Accounts | S&P 500 Historical Returns | Options Basics

Sources

• New York Stock Exchange. “NYSE Holidays and Hours.” nyse.com/markets/hours-calendars
• NASDAQ. “Stock Market Hours & Holidays.” nasdaq.com/market-activity/stock-market-holiday-schedule

Written by WealthVieu

WealthVieu researches and writes data-driven personal finance guides using primary sources including the IRS, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Reserve, and Census Bureau.