NYSE Closing Days and Holidays: When Not to Trade

If you invest in the US stock market, one of the first things to consider is when the market is closed. You may not have expected it, but every market in the world has its own closing schedule. So what does Wall Street’s look like? What are the New York Stock Exchange closing days?

Holiday Calendar: Occasional New York Stock Exchange Closures

• New Year’s Day.
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day, commemorating his birth.
• Washington’s Birthday, commemorating the birth of George Washington, one of America’s Founding Fathers.
• Good Friday.
• Memorial Day.
• Independence Day holiday, observed on another day since July 4 falls on a Sunday in 2025.
• Labor Day.
• Thanksgiving.
• Christmas Eve.

The absence of Wall Street investors is felt across the international market. But note that they are generally active Monday to Friday unless there is a public holiday. There are not many New York Stock Exchange closing days this year.

To go further, also read our guides “New York Stock Exchange Closing Time” and “New York Stock Exchange Definition“.

Regular Weekly Closing Days

• Saturday
• Sunday

Every market in the world has its own opening and closing hours, and the New York Stock Exchange is no exception. Apart from the NYSE closing days for holidays, there are two regular days of the week when Wall Street is closed: the weekend, namely Saturday and Sunday.

Stock Exchange Closing Times

From this table, you can see that Wall Street’s closing times are the same throughout the week, from Monday to Friday. This consistency shows how solid the market is and also helps explain why the NYSE is so successful.

US Market Closing Times

Apart from the New York Stock Exchange, there are several other US exchanges. Here are their closing times.

Why Is the Stock Market Closed at the Weekend?

Many readers ask: why is the stock market closed at the weekend? You should know that if the weekend is one of the New York Stock Exchange’s closing days, it is not really because investors want it that way. In reality, stock exchanges operate like any financial institution. And even though technology does more and more of the work today, human involvement is still a necessity.
A significant share of market transactions is carried out at the request of people. These players can be brokers managing accounts, mutual fund managers, portfolio managers and so on.
And no one can work 7 days in a row. Market participants need rest too, even investors.

Why Know These Hours?

For foreign investors, knowing the New York Stock Exchange closing days is probably the least of their worries. However, knowing these closing hours and days is essential if you want to invest in a foreign market such as the NYSE. Here is why:

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Knowing the Hours Helps You Plan Your Schedule

We can agree that nobody can trade full time. And even if you do, you need free time to rest or attend to your other activities. To avoid misunderstandings, you need to know when the stock exchange opens and closes.
The most organized traders can even draw up a schedule showing the daily opening and closing times of the US stock market.

Trading at the Right Time

When you know the New York Stock Exchange’s opening and closing schedule, it becomes easier to judge the right time to trade. And even though the New York Stock Exchange is open for 7 hours a day, there are certain hours when trading is more favorable.

Knowing the Hours Helps You Analyze the Market

The fact that Wall Street is only open 7 hours a day is actually an advantage. Compared with a market available 24/7, the New York stock exchange is easier to manage. After the market closes, you can analyze your trading, note the points to correct and strengthen in your investment strategy, and be a sharper strategist at the next open.

Knowing Stock Market Hours Helps You Estimate Trading Volumes

If the stock exchange were always open, you would be tempted to trade all the time without a concrete method, and your trading would get you nowhere. This is the world’s leading stock market: Wall Street affects the global economy and other exchanges. During the 17 hours it is closed each day and on NYSE closing days, American investors are absent, unless they invest in other markets around the world. This has an impact on total trading volumes.
By knowing this exchange’s closing hours, you can anticipate changes in trading volumes on other international exchanges. Knowing when the exchange is available is therefore especially useful if you trade on other markets, such as in France or in other regions.

New York Stock Exchange Closures Throughout History

The New York Stock Exchange has gone through several periods of disruption. Some events even caused it to close.

• July 1914: the first closure of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) took place in July 1914. The cause, of course, was the First World War. To support the war effort, financial institutions’ assets were mobilized. Because of this, Wall Street was only able to reopen five months later, on December 28, 1914.
• September 2001: several incidents affected the New York Stock Exchange between these two dates. However, the second confirmed closure was only announced in September 2001. This time, the cause was the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Fortunately, it reopened more quickly, and the NYSE was back in business on September 17, 2001.
• October 2012: the cause of this closure was rather unusual, as it was unintentional. Hurricane Sandy not only left people injured, it also had a major impact on the stock market both nationally and internationally.
• July 2015: in July of that year, the NYSE’s operating system ran into a technical problem. A bug hit many sites, including the NYSE, which was shut for several hours. The New York Stock Exchange suffered an estimated loss of several thousand dollars as a result. The malfunction disrupted trading for hours, and no transactions were carried out. According to reports, other sites were affected at the same time.

What Time Is Best to Invest on the New York Stock Exchange in November?

In trading, you should invest at the most opportune time of the day. For Wall Street, the ideal time to invest is between 10:00 am and 11:00 am. If you are in Paris, this corresponds to 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm. According to observations by professionals, the market is less volatile during this window.
As a result, you should avoid trading during the first half hour after the open. During this phase, investors adjust their positions to the changes and new trends that emerged overnight. However, if you are looking for volatility and have a good plan, you can take the risk of placing trades.