The stock market runs like many businesses, with daily hours and federal holidays off throughout the year. When the stock market is open, brokers and traders exchange securities on behalf of companies and individual investors. It's like a retail store, except the price of the merch (i.e., stocks) changes as buyers and sellers negotiate—and trading doesn't end when the store (i.e., the market) closes. Here's a rundown of the stock market's hours, closures, and pre-market and after-hours trading.
When does the stock market open and close?
The US stock market opens at 9:30 a.m. ET and closes at 4:00 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday. It's closed on the weekends. These trading hours—also called a trading session—apply to the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the Nasdaq, the 2 main marketplaces where stocks are listed in the US. You might also hear the terms "opening bell" and "closing bell" to describe the beginning and end of the trading day. There are also bell-ringing ceremonies, when companies have the honor of making some noise, sometimes on their first day of public trading.
2024 Stock market holidays
Like most companies, the NYSE and Nasdaq stock markets observe certain holidays by closing early or entirely. For 2024, those dates are as follows:
| Holiday | Date | NYSE | Nasdaq |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | January 1 | Closed | Closed |
| Martin Luther King, Jr. Day | January 15 | Closed | Closed |
| Presidents’ Day | February 19 | Closed | Closed |
| Good Friday | March 29 | Closed | Closed |
| Memorial Day | May 27 | Closed | Closed |
| Juneteenth | June 19 | Closed | Closed |
| Day before Independence Day | July 3 | 1:00 p.m. ET close | 1:00 p.m. ET close |
| Independence Day | July 4 | Closed | Closed |
| Labor Day | September 2 | Closed | Closed |
| Thanksgiving | November 28 | Closed | Closed |
| Day after Thanksgiving | November 29 | 1:00 p.m. ET close | 1:00 p.m. ET close |
| Christmas Eve | December 24 | 1:00 p.m. ET close | 1:00 p.m. ET close |
| Christmas Day | December 25 | Closed | Closed |
What is extended hours trading and when does it start?
Extended hours trading refers to the periods directly before the stock market officially opens at 9:30 a.m. ET and right after it closes at 4:00 p.m. ET. Avid investors may use this time to place orders to buy or sell stocks, sometimes in response to news or earnings reports that come out after traditional market hours.
Unlike the trades taking place during normal business hours, extended-hours transactions are brokered through an electronic system called the Electronic Communication Network (ECN).
There are 5 different markets operating under the NYSE umbrella. Their extended hours are:
NYSE Arca Equities market (for ETFs)
- 2:30 a.m. ET: Pre-opening session (orders can be entered and queued until the early open auction at 4:00 a.m. ET)
- 4:00 a.m. ET to 9:30 a.m. ET: Early trading session
- 4:00 p.m. ET to 8:00 p.m. ET: Late trading session
NYSE, NYSE American (for growing companies), NYSE Chicago (for institutional brokers dealing with derivatives), and NYSE National (which has 8,000 equity securities) markets
- 6:30 a.m. ET: Pre-opening session (orders can be entered and queued until the early open auction at 7:00 a.m. ET)
- 7:00 a.m. ET to 9:30 a.m. ET: Early trading session
- 4:00 p.m. ET to 8:00 p.m. ET: Late trading session (except for NYSE, which doesn't have a late trading session)
Nasdaq's extended hours are:
- 4:00 a.m. ET to 9:30 a.m. ET: Pre-market trading hours
- 4:00 p.m. ET to 8:00 p.m. ET: After-hours trading
What happens if I try to buy or sell investments when the market is closed?
The rules for trading during extended hours vary by brokerage firm (aka an investment company, like Fidelity, that's licensed to help people buy and sell securities). What that typically means is that trading is limited to certain types of orders, specifically limit orders, which are used when you want to buy or sell a security at a specific price. That's why you might not be able to execute a market order (which buys or sells a security immediately at its current price).
If you have a Fidelity brokerage account, for example, you can only place certain types of orders during extended-hours trading—including buy, buy to cover, sell, or short-sale orders. Also, all orders must be limit orders. Orders in the pre-market session can only be entered and executed between 7:00 a.m. ET and 9:28 a.m. ET (or 8:00 a.m. ET to 9:28 a.m. ET for short-sale orders). Orders in the after-hours session can be entered and executed between 4:00 p.m. ET and 8:00 p.m. ET.
Extended hours trading tends to be riskier, for a handful of reasons. Mainly, fewer stocks are being traded at this time, so what's available is often harder to buy and sell at a price that reflects their true value. And there's more volatility in stock pricing outside of regular market hours.
When does the bond market open and close?
Bond markets typically trade from 8:00 a.m. ET to 5:00 p.m. ET. In 2024, bond markets are scheduled to close on the same days as the NYSE and Nasdaq, as well as October 14 (Columbus Day) and November 11 (Veterans Day). On early close days—March 28, the day before Good Friday; May 24, the Friday before Memorial Day; July 3, the day before Independence Day; November 29, the day after Thanksgiving; Christmas Eve; and New Year's Eve—the bond markets close at 2:00 p.m. ET.
The NYSE conducts 2 bond auctions daily at 4:00 a.m. ET and 8:00 a.m. ET.
When does the commodities market open and close?
Commodities (raw materials and agricultural products you can invest in, like oil, precious metals, and wheat) are traded in futures, and futures trade nearly 24 hours a day, 6 days a week, beginning on Sunday. Each product has its own specific trading window.
When does the crypto market open and close?
Cryptocurrency markets are always open—24 hours per day, 365 days per year. However, most trades take place during a particular window.