The stock market is closed on Thanksgiving Day and open the day after

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and NASDAQ both close on Thanksgiving Day itself. The day after Thanksgiving — the Friday — the markets open on a normal schedule. The NYSE opens at 9:30 a.m. Eastern time and closes at 4:00 p.m. Eastern time, just like any other trading day.

This means if you hold stocks or mutual funds, you cannot buy or sell them on Thanksgiving. Any orders you place that day will not execute until the market reopens on Friday morning. If you are planning to make trades around the holiday, you need to do them before Thanksgiving or wait until Friday.

The day after Thanksgiving is sometimes called Black Friday in retail, but on Wall Street it is straightforward a regular business day. Trading volume is often lighter than usual because many people are still traveling or off work, but the market operates at full hours.

Key Takeaways

  • The NYSE and NASDAQ close completely on Thanksgiving Day — no trading happens at all.
  • The Friday after Thanksgiving is a full trading day with normal market hours (9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern).
  • Any buy or sell order you place on Thanksgiving will not go through until Friday morning when the market opens.
  • Trading volume on the Friday after Thanksgiving is typically lighter than average because many traders and investors are away.

What happens to your orders on Thanksgiving

If you try to place a stock or mutual fund order through your brokerage on Thanksgiving, the order sits in a queue. It does not disappear — your broker holds it and sends it to the market as soon as trading resumes on Friday morning. This is called a standing order or pending order.

The price you get on Friday may be different from what you expected on Thursday. Stock prices move based on news, earnings reports, and global events that happen overnight or over the weekend. If you placed a limit order (an order to buy or sell only at a specific price), your order might not fill at all if the stock price moves past your limit.

For this reason, many investors avoid placing orders right before Thanksgiving. If you need to trade, do it Wednesday or earlier. If you can wait, Friday morning is when you have the most control over the price you actually pay.

Other market closures around the holiday season

Thanksgiving is one of nine days per year when the NYSE and NASDAQ close completely. The other full closures are New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, and Christmas.

In addition to full closures, the market closes early (at 1:00 p.m. Eastern) on the day after Thanksgiving and on Christmas Eve. Early closures mean you have only a few hours to trade instead of the full six and a half hours. If you have trades planned around these dates, check your brokerage calendar to confirm the exact closing time.

International stock exchanges have their own holiday schedules. If you trade stocks on foreign exchanges or own international funds, those markets may be open when the U.S. market is closed, and vice versa.

How to plan your trades around Thanksgiving

If you want to make changes to your portfolio before the holiday, place your orders by Wednesday before Thanksgiving. This gives you time to see the order execute and confirm it went through the way you intended. It also avoids any surprises from overnight news or price swings.

If you are selling stocks to raise cash, do not wait until the last minute. Settlement — the actual transfer of money to your account — takes two business days. If you sell on Wednesday, the cash lands in your account on Friday. If you sell on Friday after Thanksgiving, the cash does not arrive until the following Tuesday.

For long-term investors who do not trade frequently, Thanksgiving closures do not matter much. Your holdings are still yours, and the market will reopen on schedule. The closure only affects people who are actively buying and selling during that specific week.

Early market close on the Friday after Thanksgiving

While the market is open on the Friday after Thanksgiving, it closes three and a half hours earlier than normal. Instead of closing at 4:00 p.m. Eastern, it closes at 1:00 p.m. Eastern. This early close has been in place since 1945.

The early close means you have a shorter window to place trades. If you are used to trading in the afternoon, you need to move your schedule up. Many traders and investors plan their Friday trades for the morning to avoid missing the earlier closing time.

Options markets and futures markets also close early on this day, so if you trade derivatives, the same early close applies to you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I trade on Thanksgiving if I use a mobile app or online broker?

No. All brokers — whether they are apps, online platforms, or traditional firms — route orders to the NYSE or NASDAQ. When those exchanges are closed, no broker can execute your trade. Your order will queue and execute on Friday morning instead.

What if I need to sell stock urgently on Thanksgiving?

You cannot sell during market hours on Thanksgiving because the market is closed. If you have an emergency, contact your broker to see if they offer after-hours trading, though this is rare for individual investors and typically only available for stocks, not mutual funds. Most brokers recommend calling their customer service line to discuss your situation.

Do mutual funds trade on the Friday after Thanksgiving?

Mutual fund orders placed on Friday after Thanksgiving are processed at the end-of-day price on Friday (usually around 4:00 p.m. Eastern, before the stock market closes). However, the early stock market close at 1:00 p.m. does not affect mutual fund trading important date. Check with your fund company or broker for their specific cutoff time.

Will my dividends or interest payments be delayed because of Thanksgiving?

No. Dividend and interest payment dates are set in advance and do not shift because of market closures. If a dividend is scheduled to pay on a day the market is closed, it pays on that day anyway. You will see the payment in your account on the scheduled date.

Does the stock market close early on Wednesday before Thanksgiving?

No. The market operates on a normal schedule on Wednesday before Thanksgiving — it opens at 9:30 a.m. and closes at 4:00 p.m. Eastern. The early close only happens on the Friday after Thanksgiving, not the day before.