# U.S. Stock Market Hours: Open, Close, and Holidays

> The U.S. stock market opens at 9:30 a.m. Eastern and closes at 4:00 p.m. on weekdays. Here's pre-market, after-hours, and holidays.

Source: MarketCapLens — https://www.marketcaplens.com/learn/us-stock-market-hours
Updated: 2026-09-22



The New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq open at **9:30 a.m. Eastern** and close at **4:00 p.m.**, Monday through Friday. That stretch is when the most shares change hands. You can also trade before the open and after the close. Fewer shares trade then, and your broker may not offer the full window.

**Key takeaways**

- Regular hours run 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern, Monday through Friday. That is 6.5 hours.
- NYSE Arca starts an early session at 4:00 a.m. Eastern. Some other NYSE markets start at 7:00 a.m. On a normal day the late session runs until 8:00 p.m.
- The exchanges close on Saturday, Sunday, and on market holidays. On a few days each year they close the regular session at 1:00 p.m. Eastern.
- Times below are Eastern. The clock further down shows the same hours in your time zone.

> **Regular hours = 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern, Monday through Friday**

These times come from the [NYSE hours and holiday calendar](https://www.nyse.com/trade/hours-calendars). Your broker can open a shorter early or late window. The 9:30 a.m. open and the 4:00 p.m. close stay where they are.

## Regular trading hours

The opening auction sets the first price of the regular session. The closing auction at 4:00 p.m. Eastern sets the official close, the price quoted as the day's close. A trade at 3:58 p.m. does not set that price. A trade at 4:05 p.m. belongs to the late session.

The first minutes after 9:30 a.m. often move more than midday. Traders are still reacting to overnight news, earnings, and the economic reports that come out around 8:30 a.m. Eastern.

Funds, indexes, and options use the closing price. That is why the 4:00 p.m. auction matters more than the last trade just before it.

## Pre-market

NYSE Arca trades from **4:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Eastern**. Several other NYSE markets start at **7:00 a.m.** Nasdaq trades through the same morning. Your broker picks a start time inside that range. If the app says pre-market starts at 7:00 a.m. or 8:00 a.m., that is your broker's window. The exchange open is still 9:30 a.m.

Fewer shares trade before 9:30 a.m. The gap between the best bid and the best ask is often wider, so a small trade can move the price a lot. That move does not have to carry into the regular session. The opening auction sets the 9:30 a.m. price.

| Eastern time | What you usually see |
| --- | --- |
| 4:00–7:00 a.m. | Very few trades. A headline can show up here, and a handful of shares can look like a trend. |
| 7:00–9:30 a.m. | More news, including many 8:30 a.m. economic reports. Still quieter than the regular session. |

## After-hours

The late session runs from **4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern** on a normal day. Companies often report earnings then. [Apple](https://www.marketcaplens.com/company/AAPL) has reported after the close. The stock can trade at one price that evening and open the next morning at another. The evening price is what those trades paid. The official close still comes from the 4:00 p.m. auction.

On early-close days the late session ends at **5:00 p.m. Eastern**.

We take market cap from the latest share price in each snapshot. A price from before the open or after the close can differ from the regular-session price. See [how the ranking works](https://www.marketcaplens.com/learn/how-the-ranking-works).

## What changes between sessions

You are looking at the same stocks, with fewer people trading. The gap between bid and ask is wider. Your broker may skip order types it offers at noon. Some stocks do not trade at all before 9:30 a.m. or after 4:00 p.m.

None of that tells you when to buy or sell. It tells you which price you are looking at.

## Market holidays and early closes

NYSE and Nasdaq close for the same U.S. holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Washington's Birthday (often called Presidents Day), Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. If the holiday lands on a weekend, the exchanges usually close on a nearby weekday instead. In 2028 they skip New Year's Day, because January 1 is a Saturday and they do not take a weekday off for it.

The list below is the NYSE calendar. On an early-close day, regular stock trading ends at 1:00 p.m. Eastern.

### Market closed

| Date | Holiday |
| --- | --- |
| Thursday, January 1, 2026 | New Year's Day |
| Monday, January 19, 2026 | Martin Luther King, Jr. Day |
| Monday, February 16, 2026 | Washington's Birthday |
| Friday, April 3, 2026 | Good Friday |
| Monday, May 25, 2026 | Memorial Day |
| Friday, June 19, 2026 | Juneteenth National Independence Day |
| Friday, July 3, 2026 | Independence Day (observed) |
| Monday, September 7, 2026 | Labor Day |
| Thursday, November 26, 2026 | Thanksgiving Day |
| Friday, December 25, 2026 | Christmas Day |
| Friday, January 1, 2027 | New Year's Day |
| Monday, January 18, 2027 | Martin Luther King, Jr. Day |
| Monday, February 15, 2027 | Washington's Birthday |
| Friday, March 26, 2027 | Good Friday |
| Monday, May 31, 2027 | Memorial Day |
| Friday, June 18, 2027 | Juneteenth National Independence Day (observed) |
| Monday, July 5, 2027 | Independence Day (observed) |
| Monday, September 6, 2027 | Labor Day |
| Thursday, November 25, 2027 | Thanksgiving Day |
| Friday, December 24, 2027 | Christmas Day (observed) |
| Monday, January 17, 2028 | Martin Luther King, Jr. Day |
| Monday, February 21, 2028 | Washington's Birthday |
| Friday, April 14, 2028 | Good Friday |
| Monday, May 29, 2028 | Memorial Day |
| Monday, June 19, 2028 | Juneteenth National Independence Day |
| Tuesday, July 4, 2028 | Independence Day |
| Monday, September 4, 2028 | Labor Day |
| Thursday, November 23, 2028 | Thanksgiving Day |
| Monday, December 25, 2028 | Christmas Day |

### Early close (1:00 p.m. ET unless noted)

| Date | Reason | Regular session ends |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Friday, November 27, 2026 | Day after Thanksgiving | 1:00 p.m. ET |
| Thursday, December 24, 2026 | Christmas Eve | 1:00 p.m. ET |
| Friday, November 26, 2027 | Day after Thanksgiving | 1:00 p.m. ET |
| Monday, July 3, 2028 | Day before Independence Day | 1:00 p.m. ET |
| Friday, November 24, 2028 | Day after Thanksgiving | 1:00 p.m. ET |

These dates are the NYSE holiday calendar for 2026–2028. We refresh this list from Financial Modeling Prep about once a quarter.

## Hours in your time zone

The U.S. switches to daylight time on the second Sunday in March and back to standard time on the first Sunday in November. London, Frankfurt, Tokyo, and Sydney do not switch on those same Sundays. For a couple of weeks each spring and fall, the hour gap between New York and Europe is different from the rest of the year.

The table uses your time zone. Pick another city in the [market hours calculator](https://www.marketcaplens.com/tools/market-hours-calculator).

Regular hours run 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern. NYSE Arca's early session runs 4:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Eastern. On a normal day the late session runs 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern.

Those hours fall at different local times when the U.S. or your country is on daylight saving time, and the two switches are not the same week. This guide's clock shows each session in your time zone.

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*For general education only. Nothing here is investment advice.*

## Frequently asked questions

### What time does the U.S. stock market open?

The regular session opens at 9:30 a.m. Eastern, Monday through Friday, unless the exchange is closed for a holiday. NYSE Arca starts at 4:00 a.m. Eastern. Some other NYSE markets start at 7:00 a.m. Your broker may start later than that.

### What time does the U.S. stock market close?

The regular session closes at 4:00 p.m. Eastern. A late session runs until 8:00 p.m. Eastern on a normal day. A few days each year, regular trading ends at 1:00 p.m. Eastern and the late session ends at 5:00 p.m.

### Is the stock market open on weekends and holidays?

No. NYSE and Nasdaq close on Saturday, Sunday, and on holidays such as Thanksgiving and Good Friday. If a holiday lands on a weekend, they usually close on a nearby weekday. This guide lists those dates and the 1:00 p.m. early closes.

### Why can a pre-market price differ from the regular-session price?

Fewer shares trade before 9:30 a.m. The gap between the best bid and the best ask is often wider, so a small trade can move the price. The opening auction sets the 9:30 a.m. price. It does not copy the last pre-market trade.