Markets don’t all follow the same clock.
Stocks close for exchange holidays. Forex usually runs through the week, then stops for the weekend. Crypto trades almost all the time. Commodities and indices follow their own exchange schedules.
That matters more than it sounds.
A market holiday can mean no trading. It can also mean shorter hours, wider spreads, lower volume, or a strange session where price moves but liquidity is thin.
Use this guide as a practical map for 2026. Then check the trading schedule for the exact instrument inside your platform before opening a trade.
Quick View
For U.S. stocks, NYSE and Nasdaq list 10 full market holidays in 2026 and 2 early closes.
The full U.S. stock market closures are:
| Holiday | 2026 date | U.S. stock market status |
|---|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | Thursday, January 1 | Closed |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Day | Monday, January 19 | Closed |
| Washington’s Birthday | Monday, February 16 | Closed |
| Good Friday | Friday, April 3 | Closed |
| Memorial Day | Monday, May 25 | Closed |
| Juneteenth | Friday, June 19 | Closed |
| Independence Day observed | Friday, July 3 | Closed |
| Labor Day | Monday, September 7 | Closed |
| Thanksgiving Day | Thursday, November 26 | Closed |
| Christmas Day | Friday, December 25 | Closed |
The two early closes are:
- Friday, November 27, 2026: U.S. stock markets close at 1:00 p.m. ET.
- Thursday, December 24, 2026: U.S. stock markets close at 1:00 p.m. ET.
ET means Eastern Time, or New York time.
Trading Hours Are Not the Same for Every Market
The first mistake is treating “the market” as one thing.
There is no single market clock.
| Market | Usual schedule | What changes around holidays |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. stocks | Regular session is usually 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET | Closed on exchange holidays; early close on some days |
| European stocks | Local exchange hours, usually Monday to Friday | National holidays differ by country |
| Forex | Usually 24 hours a day from Sunday evening to Friday evening, New York time | Liquidity can drop around bank holidays and late December |
| Commodities | Exchange-specific schedules, often CME-based for U.S. futures | Product-level holiday hours matter |
| Indices | Usually follow the underlying exchange or futures schedule | Cash index and index CFD hours may differ |
| Crypto | Trades almost continuously | Broker or product maintenance can still create breaks |
This is why a holiday can affect two traders in different ways.
One trader holding a U.S. stock CFD may see the instrument closed. Another trader watching EUR/USD may still see prices moving, but with thinner liquidity. A crypto trader may see the market open, but spreads and weekend liquidity can still change.
U.S. Stock Market Holidays in 2026
U.S. stocks are the easiest place to start because the calendar is clear.
NYSE and Nasdaq both close for the main U.S. market holidays. In 2026, that includes New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Washington’s Birthday, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day observed, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
There are also two shortened sessions:
- the day after Thanksgiving;
- Christmas Eve.
On both days, the market closes at 1:00 p.m. ET.
These early closes matter. The market is open, but it is not a normal session. Volume can be lower. Spreads can widen. Moves can be choppy because many desks are lightly staffed.
If you day trade stocks or index CFDs, treat early closes differently from normal sessions. You may get less time, less liquidity, and weaker follow-through.
Forex Holidays Are Different
Forex does not close for every national holiday.
The market is global. When one country has a bank holiday, another financial center may still be open. That is why forex usually trades from Sunday evening to Friday evening, New York time.
But “open” does not always mean “good to trade.”
Liquidity can be weaker around:
- Christmas and New Year;
- U.S. bank holidays;
- major European bank holidays;
- the first hours after Sunday open;
- late Friday sessions;
- major news releases.
The issue is not only whether EUR/USD or GBP/USD is available. The issue is how clean the market is. Thin liquidity can mean wider spreads, faster spikes, and less reliable technical levels.
If you trade forex around holidays, reduce the size of the assumption. A setup that works in a normal London/New York overlap may not behave the same way in a half-empty market.
Commodities and Futures-Based Instruments
Commodities can be more complicated than stocks.
Gold, oil, natural gas, and agricultural markets often follow futures exchange schedules. CME Group publishes product-level holiday and trading hours, and those hours can differ by product.
That means one commodity can close earlier than another. Some products may have a short session. Some may reopen at different times.
If you trade commodities around U.S. holidays, do not guess from the stock market calendar alone. Check the exact instrument schedule.
The same idea applies to index products based on futures. A cash index and a futures-based instrument can have different holiday behavior.
Time Zones Can Shift the Session
Trading hours are usually published in the exchange’s local time.
That sounds simple until daylight saving time changes.
In 2026, U.S. daylight saving time starts on March 8 and ends on November 1. In the UK and much of Europe, clocks change on March 29 and October 25.
Those dates do not match.
For a few weeks, the usual gap between U.S. and European sessions can shift by one hour. If you trade the London/New York overlap, U.S. stocks from outside the U.S., or index CFDs tied to U.S. futures, check the platform clock after each DST change.
Crypto Trading Hours
Crypto is the odd one out.
Bitcoin and other crypto markets are known for 24/7 trading. There is no Saturday stock-market close. There is no Christmas Day exchange holiday in the same way.
But that does not mean every crypto product is available every second.
Some brokers, exchanges, or derivatives venues can have maintenance windows. Some products may use their own trading calendar. Liquidity can also change on weekends and holidays.
So the rule is simple: crypto may be open when other markets are closed, but risk does not disappear. Weekend and holiday moves can be sharp because fewer participants are active.
What Changes Around Holidays
Most traders think only about closed markets.
The bigger issue is often market quality.
Around holidays, you may see:
- lower volume;
- wider spreads;
- slower order flow;
- sudden price gaps;
- weaker trend follow-through;
- early closes;
- unusual rollover or overnight conditions;
- fewer scheduled earnings or data releases;
- more sensitivity to unexpected news.
This does not mean you should never trade holiday weeks. It means the market is not normal.
Your normal setup may need smaller size. Or no trade at all.
Before trading
A short checklist for holiday sessions
- Check the instrument Do not rely only on a general exchange calendar.
- Check the close time Early close sessions can feel different from normal sessions.
- Check spreads Thin markets can make a normal setup more expensive.
- Check position size Smaller liquidity usually deserves smaller risk.
- Check news A closed market can gap when it reopens after a major headline.
- Check the reason to trade If the only reason is boredom, skip it.
A holiday week is not automatically bad. It is just different. Trade it only if your plan accounts for the thinner market.
Dates I Would Mark First
If you do not want to memorize the whole 2026 calendar, mark these first:
- January 1: New Year’s Day. U.S. stocks closed.
- April 3: Good Friday. U.S. stocks closed. Many European markets also close.
- July 3: Independence Day observed. U.S. stocks closed.
- November 26: Thanksgiving. U.S. stocks closed.
- November 27: U.S. stocks early close.
- December 24: U.S. stocks early close.
- December 25: Christmas Day. U.S. stocks closed.
- Late December: thin liquidity across many markets.
These are the dates most likely to surprise traders who forget to check the calendar.
How to Check Trading Hours Before a Trade
Do this before trading around any holiday:
- Check the instrument schedule in the platform.
- Check whether the underlying exchange is open.
- Check whether it is a full session or early close.
- Check the spread before entering.
- Check whether important news is scheduled.
- Use smaller size if liquidity is thin.
- Avoid holding a short-term trade into a closure unless that is part of the plan.
The exchange calendar gives context. The platform schedule gives the final answer for the instrument you can actually trade.
