Is the Stock Market Open on Dec 26? (Holiday Trading Hours Guide)

Wondering if the stock market is open on Dec 26? The short answer is: it depends on which day of the week Christmas falls. For [Current Year], the stock market will be [confirm and insert OPEN or CLOSED] on December 26th.

This isn’t a random decision; it’s determined by a simple “weekend rule” used by major exchanges like the NYSE. If a market holiday falls on a weekend, trading is typically halted on the nearest weekday. This is why the market is sometimes closed the day after Christmas.

Once you know this pattern, you can anticipate closures for other holidays like New Year’s Day or Independence Day, ensuring you’re never caught by surprise when you want to make a trade.

Why December 25th Is Always a Stock Market Holiday

When it comes to major holidays, you can count on the stock market being closed. Just as banks, mail services, and government offices shut down for Christmas Day, the U.S. stock market does the same. December 25th is a guaranteed, non-negotiable day off for traders every single year.

This holiday schedule isn’t set by the federal government but by the markets themselves. The major U.S. exchanges, primarily the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Nasdaq, create and follow a unified calendar of trading holidays. This ensures that when one is closed, they all are, preventing confusion and maintaining a fair trading environment.

Christmas is one of about nine fixed holidays the stock market observes annually. This official list helps create a predictable schedule for investors. Other “no-trading” days you can always count on include:

• New Year’s Day (Jan 1)
• Independence Day (July 4)
• Thanksgiving Day

This simple rule gets more interesting when a holiday like Christmas lands on a weekend.

The ‘Weekend Rule’: The Real Reason the Market Might Close on Dec 26th

Think about how your own office might handle a holiday that lands on a weekend—you likely get the Friday before or the Monday after as a day off. The stock market follows a nearly identical principle, often called the “Weekend Rule,” which dictates the entire holiday schedule.

The official rule, which the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Nasdaq follow, is straightforward:

• If a holiday falls on a Saturday, the market will close on the preceding Friday.
• If a holiday falls on a Sunday, the market will close on the following Monday.

This is precisely why you might see the market closed the day after Christmas. When December 25th lands on a Sunday, the exchanges observe the holiday on Monday, December 26th. For example, in 2022, Christmas Day was on a Sunday, so the market remained closed on Monday the 26th. This rule gives you the power to look at any calendar and predict the schedule for yourself.

What About Christmas Eve? Understanding Early Market Closures

With the Christmas holiday schedule clear, a natural question arises: what about the day before? Unlike Christmas Day, Christmas Eve is not an official market holiday. Trading does happen, but it’s not always a full, normal trading day.

On the trading day immediately preceding certain major holidays, the stock market often has an early market closure. For Christmas Eve, this means that if it falls on a weekday, the market will typically close at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

These shortened sessions, which also occur on the day after Thanksgiving, can impact last-minute decisions and the general level of trading activity. But do these rules apply equally across all major US exchanges?

Do the NYSE and NASDAQ Have Different Holiday Rules?

If your investments are spread across companies on both the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the Nasdaq, you don’t need to worry about tracking different schedules. The major U.S. stock exchanges are completely synchronized when it comes to holidays. If the NYSE is closed for Christmas, the Nasdaq is too. The calendar for one is the calendar for all.

This shared schedule applies not just to full-day closures but also to those 1:00 p.m. early dismissals on days like Christmas Eve. The system is designed for clarity, so investors don’t have to juggle multiple timetables. While the stock market is unified, other financial markets, like those for bonds, can sometimes play by a slightly different clock.

A Quick Note on Bonds and Futures: Do They Follow the Same Schedule?

While the major stock exchanges move in lockstep, the massive bond market often follows a separate holiday schedule. This detail can catch investors by surprise on days surrounding major holidays.

The bond market frequently follows the SIFMA (Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association) recommendations, which often suggest early closures on days when the stock market remains open for a full session. For example, on the Friday after Thanksgiving, SIFMA may recommend that bond trading ends at 2:00 p.m., while the stock market trades until its usual 4:00 p.m. close.

Similarly, trading futures on bank holidays comes with its own distinct calendar. Each market is its own ecosystem, so always verify the schedule for the specific asset you intend to trade.

How to Check the Official Stock Market Holiday Calendar for Any Year

With different schedules for various markets, it’s best to go straight to the source for a reliable answer. The NYSE publishes the definitive schedule that all major U.S. stock markets follow.

To find the official US stock market holiday schedule for any year, simply type “NYSE holiday calendar” into your search engine. The official NYSE website provides a clear list of closed days, ensuring you’re always working with the right information before planning a trade.

Your Quick Guide to Post-Christmas Trading: What to Remember

Here is a simple mental checklist for holiday market hours. First, on December 25th, the market is always CLOSED. Next, if Christmas falls on a Sunday, the market will be CLOSED the following Monday, December 26th. For other days, like Christmas Eve, a quick check of the official NYSE calendar will confirm any potential 1:00 p.m. early close.

This framework applies to U.S. stock market holidays year-round, turning a seemingly random schedule into a predictable system. You can plan your post-Christmas trading with confidence, knowing exactly when the opening bell will—and won’t—ring.