When the Stock Market Opens and Closes: Trading Hours You Need to Know

The stock market opens at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time on weekdays and closes at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time

The regular trading day for stocks listed on major U.S. exchanges — the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the NASDAQ — runs from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday. This is when the vast majority of stock trades happen and when prices move most actively. If you place an order to buy or sell a stock during these hours, it will execute during the regular session.

The market is closed on weekends and on 11 federal holidays each year. These include New Year's Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. On the day after Thanksgiving, the market closes at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time instead of the usual 4:00 p.m. The market also closes early — at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time — on the day before Thanksgiving and on Christmas Eve, if either falls on a weekday.

Key Takeaways

• Regular stock market hours are 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.
• You can trade stocks outside regular hours through pre-market and after-hours sessions, but with fewer buyers and sellers and wider price swings.
• The market closes entirely on weekends and 11 federal holidays each year, plus closes early on the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve.
• If you place an order when the market is closed, it will not execute until the next regular trading session opens.

Pre-market trading starts as early as 4:00 a.m. Eastern Time

Before the official market open at 9:30 a.m., you can trade stocks in what is called the pre-market session. This session typically runs from 4:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time, though the exact start time depends on your brokerage. Not all brokerages offer pre-market trading, and not all stocks can be traded during this time.

Pre-market trading is thinner than regular trading — fewer people are buying and selling, so prices can move more sharply on smaller trades. The bid-ask spread (the difference between what buyers will pay and what sellers are asking) is often wider. If you place a pre-market order, there is no may provide it will fill at the price you see on your screen. Many investors avoid pre-market trading because of this unpredictability, but some use it to react to news that broke after the previous market close.

After-hours trading runs until 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time

After the market closes at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, you can continue to trade stocks in the after-hours session, which typically runs until 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Like pre-market trading, after-hours trading is available through most major brokerages but not all, and not all stocks participate.

The same cautions apply: fewer traders are active, prices can swing more dramatically, and your order may not fill at the price you expect. After-hours trading is most active in the first 30 minutes after the close, when traders react to earnings announcements or other news released during the regular session. By 6:00 p.m. or 7:00 p.m., activity drops sharply.

Orders placed outside regular hours execute the next trading day

If you place a standard buy or sell order when the market is closed — on a weekend, a holiday, or outside pre-market and after-hours windows — your order will sit until the next regular trading session opens at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time. It will then execute at the market price at that time, which may be very different from the price you saw when you placed the order.

To trade outside regular hours, you must specifically place a pre-market or after-hours order through your brokerage's platform. A regular order placed at 8:00 p.m. on a Tuesday will not execute until 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning. This is an important distinction if you are reacting to breaking news and want to trade immediately.

Time zones matter: Eastern Time is the official market clock

All U.S. stock market hours are stated in Eastern Time, regardless of where you live. If you are on the West Coast, the market opens at 6:30 a.m. Pacific Time and closes at 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time. If you are in the Central Time Zone, it opens at 8:30 a.m. Central and closes at 3:00 p.m. Central. When daylight saving time changes, the market's Eastern Time hours do not shift — only your local time relative to Eastern Time changes.

Your brokerage platform will usually display market hours in your local time zone automatically, but it is worth double-checking if you are trading near the open or close. A 4:00 p.m. Eastern close is 1:00 p.m. Pacific, and orders placed at 1:05 p.m. Pacific will not execute until the next day.

Futures and other markets have different hours

Stock index futures — contracts that track the S&P 500, Nasdaq-100, or Dow Jones Industrial Average — trade nearly 24 hours a day, five days a week. They close for a brief period each evening for settlement. If you trade futures, you can react to overnight news or events in other parts of the world without waiting for the stock market to open.

Bonds, currencies, and commodities also trade on their own schedules, often with longer hours than stocks. If you own a diversified portfolio that includes these assets, understand that their prices may move when U.S. stocks are closed. Your brokerage statement will show you the last price at which each asset traded, but that price may be from a different market session than the stock prices you see.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I trade stocks at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time?

No, not through regular trading. The market does not open until 9:30 a.m. Eastern. You can trade during pre-market hours starting as early as 4:00 a.m., but you must have pre-market trading enabled at your brokerage, and prices will be less stable than during regular hours.

What happens if I place an order at 5:00 p.m. on a Friday?

Your order will not execute until Monday at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time, assuming Monday is not a holiday. It will then fill at the market price at that time, which could be significantly different from Friday's closing price. If you want to trade over the weekend, you cannot — the market is closed.

Does the stock market close early on any days besides the day after Thanksgiving?

Yes. The market closes at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the day before Thanksgiving and on Christmas Eve, if either falls on a weekday. These are the only early closes besides the day after Thanksgiving. Check your brokerage's holiday calendar each year to confirm, as the exact dates shift.

If I trade after-hours, will my order definitely fill?

No. After-hours trading has fewer buyers and sellers, so your order may not fill at all, or may fill only partially. You might place an order to sell 100 shares and only 50 fill before the after-hours session ends. Check your brokerage's after-hours order status before assuming your trade went through.

What time does the market open on the West Coast?

The market opens at 6:30 a.m. Pacific Time and closes at 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time. These times shift by one hour when daylight saving time begins or ends. Your brokerage platform should display times in your local zone, but always verify if you are trading near the open or close.