Stock Market Hours: When Trading Starts and Stops
The regular stock market opens at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time and closes at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and NASDAQ — the two largest U.S. stock markets — follow the same schedule. Trading begins at 9:30 a.m. ET and ends at 4:00 p.m. ET on every weekday except federal holidays. This is the time when the vast majority of stock trades happen, when prices move most, and when most individual investors buy and sell.
The market does not open on weekends or on federal holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, Independence Day, and Labor Day. On days when the market closes early — which happens four times a year — it shuts down at 1:00 p.m. ET instead of 4:00 p.m. ET. These early closures happen the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve (if it falls on a weekday), and the day before Independence Day (if it falls on a weekday).
Key Takeaways
- Regular trading hours are 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays.
- The market closes early at 1:00 p.m. ET four times per year: the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, the day before Independence Day, and sometimes on other holiday-adjacent days.
- Extended hours trading happens before 9:30 a.m. (pre-market) and after 4:00 p.m. (after-hours), but with lower volume and wider price swings.
- You can check the official NYSE or NASDAQ websites for the exact holiday schedule each year, since federal holidays occasionally shift.
Pre-market trading: 4:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time
Before the official market open, you can trade stocks during pre-market hours starting at 4:00 a.m. ET. Not all brokers offer this, and not all stocks trade during pre-market hours — you need a broker that supports extended hours trading, and the stock must have buyers and sellers willing to trade outside regular hours.
Pre-market trading is thinner and more volatile than regular trading. Fewer people are trading, so prices can swing wider on smaller trades, and the bid-ask spread (the gap between what buyers will pay and what sellers want) is often larger. News released before 9:30 a.m. — like earnings reports or economic data — can move prices significantly in pre-market, but those moves may reverse once regular trading begins and more traders enter the market.
After-hours trading: 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time
After the official market close at 4:00 p.m. ET, trading continues in after-hours sessions until 8:00 p.m. ET. Like pre-market trading, after-hours requires a broker that supports extended hours, and not all stocks trade during these hours. Volume is lower than during regular hours, and prices can move sharply on small trades.
Many individual investors avoid after-hours trading because of the wider spreads and lower liquidity. However, after-hours is where stocks often move immediately after earnings announcements or major news released at or near the 4:00 p.m. close. If you hold a stock and major news breaks after hours, the price may be very different when regular trading opens the next morning.
Why the market closes on weekends and holidays
The stock market operates on a five-day schedule because the exchanges themselves are closed on weekends and federal holidays. The NYSE and NASDAQ are physical locations with staff, clearing houses, and settlement systems that need to operate during trading hours. Closing on weekends and holidays is standard practice across financial markets worldwide.
Federal holidays when the market is closed include New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. The exact dates shift year to year because some holidays fall on different weekdays. You can find the official holiday calendar on the NYSE website each January.
What happens to your orders when the market is closed
If you place a buy or sell order when the market is closed, your broker holds that order and sends it to the market when it opens. Most brokers default to a day order, which means the order expires at the end of that trading day if it does not fill. If you place an order on Friday after 4:00 p.m., it will not go to the market until Monday morning at 9:30 a.m., and if it does not fill by Monday's close, it expires.
You can also place a good-till-canceled (GTC) order, which stays active across multiple trading days until you cancel it or it fills. GTC orders are useful if you want to buy or sell at a specific price and do not mind waiting days or weeks. However, GTC orders do not carry over across weekends or holidays — they are canceled and must be re-entered after a market closure of more than a few days, depending on your broker's rules.
Time zones and how to convert to your local time
Stock market hours are always quoted in Eastern Time because the NYSE is located in New York. If you live in a different time zone, you need to convert. The market opens at 9:30 a.m. ET, which is 8:30 a.m. Central Time, 7:30 a.m. Mountain Time, and 6:30 a.m. Pacific Time. The market closes at 4:00 p.m. ET, which is 3:00 p.m. Central, 2:00 p.m. Mountain, and 1:00 p.m. Pacific.
Daylight Saving Time affects these conversions. When the U.S. observes Daylight Saving Time (roughly March through November), the time difference between Eastern and other zones is the same. When the country is on standard time (November through March), the difference is the same. However, the exact dates when the switch happens vary slightly, so if you trade near the transition dates, double-check your local time.
How to find the market holiday schedule for the current year
The NYSE publishes its official holiday calendar on its website (nyse.com) under "Market Information" or "Holiday Calendar." NASDAQ publishes its schedule on nasdaq.com. Both calendars show which days the market is closed and which days it closes early. You can also set calendar reminders on your phone or computer for early closures, since they are easy to forget.
If you trade regularly, bookmark the holiday calendar or check it at the start of each quarter. Missing an early close can be costly — if you place a market order at 3:30 p.m. on a day the market closes at 1:00 p.m., your order will not fill until the next trading day, and the price may be very different.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I trade stocks on Saturday and Sunday?
No. The NYSE and NASDAQ do not operate on weekends. Some brokers offer trading in other markets or instruments on weekends, but you cannot trade U.S. stocks on Saturday or Sunday. If you place an order over the weekend, it will be sent to the market when it opens Monday morning at 9:30 a.m. ET.
What time does the market open on the day after Thanksgiving?
The market is closed on Thanksgiving Day itself. The day after Thanksgiving (the Friday after the fourth Thursday in November), the market opens at 9:30 a.m. ET but closes early at 1:00 p.m. ET. This is one of four days per year when the market closes early.
If I place an order at 8:00 p.m., when does it go to the market?
If you place an order at 8:00 p.m. ET on a weekday, it goes to the market the next morning at 9:30 a.m. ET (assuming it is not a holiday). If you place it at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, it goes to the market Monday morning at 9:30 a.m. ET. Most orders default to day orders, so if they do not fill by 4:00 p.m., they expire.
Does the stock market ever open early?
No. Regular trading always starts at 9:30 a.m. ET. Pre-market trading begins at 4:00 a.m. ET, but that is a separate session with lower volume and wider spreads. The official market open is always 9:30 a.m. ET on trading days.
What happens to my stock if the market is closed?
Your shares are still yours. The market being closed does not affect your ownership or the value of your holdings — it just means you cannot buy or sell until the market reopens. The price you see when the market closes is the last price at which a trade happened; the next price you see when the market opens may be different.