The US stock market is open Monday to Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
Many stocks can also be bought and sold in extended-hours trading. Pre-market trading is from 4:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., while after-hours trading is from 4:00 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Stock trading hours are usually noted in Eastern Time because that's the time zone of New York, where Wall Street is.
In other US time zones, the stock market opens at 8:30 a.m. Central Time, 7:30 a.m. Mountain Time and 6:30 a.m. Pacific Time.
Here's an overview of stock market opening hours in different US time zones:
| Opening Hours | Extended Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern Time (EST) | 9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. | 04:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. |
| Central Time (CST) | 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. | 03:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. |
| Mountain Time (MST) | 7:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. | 02:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. |
| Pacific Time (PST) | 6:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. | 01:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. |
Stock market holidays in 2024
On stock market holidays, the main US stock exchanges (NYSE and Nasdaq) close for the entire day.
These are all the planned stock market holidays in 2024:
- New Year's Day: January 1 (Monday)
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day: January 15 (Monday)
- Presidents' Day: February 19 (Monday)
- Good Friday: March 29 (Friday)
- Memorial Day: May 27 (Monday)
- Juneteenth National Independence Day: June 19 (Wednesday)
- Independence Day: July 4 (Thursday)
- Labor Day: September 2 (Monday)
- Thanksgiving Day: November 28 (Thursday)
- Christmas Day: December 25 (Wednesday)
In addition, the market will close at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time on July 3 (Wednesday), November 29 (Friday) and December 24 (Tuesday).
These holidays are identical for both the NYSE and Nasdaq. However, bond markets may have different holidays and trading hours than stock exchanges.
Worldwide stock market opening hours
Stock markets outside the US have their own opening hours, in their own local times.
All of them are open Monday through Friday, but stock exchanges outside the US can have completely different holidays.
North America
- United States: The main US stock exchanges (NYSE and Nasdaq) are open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday through Friday.
- Canada: The Toronto Stock Exchange is also open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. local time, which is the same as Eastern Time.
Asia
- China: The Shanghai Stock Exchange opens at 9:00 a.m. local time and closes at 3:00 p.m. It closes between 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. for lunch.
- Hong Kong: The Hong Kong Stock Exchange opens at 9:30 a.m. and closes at 4:00 p.m. It is closed for lunch between 12.00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
- Japan: The Tokyo Stock Exchange is open from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. but closed for lunch between 11:30 and 12:30 a.m. local time.
- India: The Bombay Stock Exchange is open between 9:15 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. local time. There is no lunch break.
Europe
- United Kingdom: The London Stock Exchange is open between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. local time (GMT).
- Germany: The Deutsche Börse Xetra opens at 9:00 a.m. and closes at 5:30 p.m. local time.
- France: Euronext Paris opens at 9:00 a.m. and closes at 5:30 p.m. local time.
- Switzerland: The Swiss Exchange opens at 9:00 a.m. and closes at 5:30 p.m. local time.
Others
- Australia: The Australian Securities Exchange opens at 10:00 a.m. and closes at 4:00 p.m. local time.
Futures trading hours
Types of securities called futures contracts can be traded almost around the clock Monday through Friday. For example, futures on the Index (called E-mini S&P 500 futures) can be traded from 6:00 p.m. on Sunday to 5:00 p.m. on Friday.
However, there is a break in E-mini futures trading between 4:15 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. each day.
Other types of futures contracts may have different trading hours, such as commodity and currency futures.
Option trading hours
Most options contracts on US stock exchanges can only be traded between 9:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. EST, the same as regular trading hours for stocks.
Cryptocurrencies
Most cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) are traded around the clock, all year.
The bottom line
Knowing when the market opens and closes is important to know when to place your trades and check your positions.
If you submit an order outside of regular stock market hours, then the order may not get filled until the market opens.
Some brokers allow you to trade during extended hours, but this is not recommended for beginners. That's because there is less liquidity at this time, and your order may not get filled at a good price.
This page was last updated on January 1, 2024.
