It’s a common question that investors have as it seems like the stock market is closed on some holidays but not others. While the New York Stock Exchange observes most public holidays, don’t assume that the markets are closed on every one of them.
Let me say this upfront — if you trade U.S. equities, you need this calendar pinned somewhere you’ll actually see it. I’ve had more than one trade plan blow up because I forgot Good Friday existed or I tried to scalp into a 1pm early close on the day after Thanksgiving. Bookmark this page, save the dates to your phone, do whatever works. Knowing when the market is closed is just as important as knowing when it’s open.
In 2026, the US stock market will be closed on 10 different occasions to observe public holidays. A majority of these holidays will fall on Mondays. It's also important to note that this a leap year.
The New York Stock Exchange is the largest stock exchange in the world. Both the New York Stock Exchange and the NASDAQ are based in New York and observe the same trading hours during each session. Both exchanges are also closed for the same public holidays each year.
Here is a list of the holidays observed by the NYSE and NASDAQ for 2026:
Public Holiday | 2026 Calendar Date |
New Year’s Day | Thursday, January 1st |
Martin Luther King Jr. Day | Monday, January 19th |
Washington’s Birthday | Monday, February 16th |
Good Friday | Friday, April 3rd |
Memorial Day | Monday, May 25th |
Juneteenth National Independence Day | Friday, June 19th |
Independence Day (observed) | Friday, July 3rd |
Labor Day | Monday, September 7th |
Thanksgiving Day | Thursday, November 26th |
Christmas Day | Friday, December 25th |
Two days in 2026 the markets close at 1:00 PM Eastern instead of the regular 4:00 PM bell. Plan around them — liquidity dries up fast in the back half of these sessions.
Note: July 4, 2026 falls on a Saturday, so the market observes Independence Day on Friday, July 3rd with a full close (not an early close). I’ve seen traders get this one wrong every year a holiday lands near a weekend.
When the US stock market observes a public holiday it is completely closed for the session. Stock prices do not move and no shares can be bought or sold when the markets are closed. You often see higher buying or selling action into the close of a session before a holiday or holiday long weekend.
For this reason, you should stay aware of when markets will be closing ahead of time. If market participants are heading out for a long weekend, this could also affect market liquidity before the holiday begins.
The trading hours are from 9:30 AM EST to 4:00 PM EST on days that the stock market is open. These trading hours are observed from Monday to Friday, on regular business days. Some pre-market and post-market trading happens, but these are not included in the official hours that the stock market is considered open.
On average the NYSE and NASDAQ are open for trading for around 253 days each year. There happen to be 252 trading days in 2026. Here is an estimated chart from the NYSE:
The US stock market will observe most of the regular public holidays in 2026, but not all of them. These include New Year’s Day, MLK Day, George Washington’s Birthday, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth National Independence Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.
In addition to this, the stock markets are closed on Saturdays and Sundays each week throughout the year.
Calculating the number of trading days in a year requires accounting for several factors. Here's the basic approach:
Using this basic approach and assuming 10 holidays in the US: 365 days - 104 weekends - 10 holidays = 251 trading days (not considering leap years). Remember, the exact number of trading days can vary slightly depending on your chosen method and specific considerations.
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There are 251 trading days in 2026. The U.S. stock market is closed for 10 federal/exchange holidays, all of which land on weekdays this year, plus weekends.
No. The NYSE and NASDAQ are closed on Friday, April 3, 2026 in observance of Good Friday.
July 4, 2026 falls on a Saturday, so the market observes Independence Day on Friday, July 3, 2026 with a full close. There is no early-close session that week.
The NYSE and NASDAQ close at 1:00 PM ET on Friday, November 27, 2026 (the day after Thanksgiving).
Use a market replay simulator like TradingSim. You can replay any past trading day tick-by-tick, build out your strategy, and get real screen time even when the live market is closed.