The stock market is closed on Memorial Day

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the NASDAQ do not trade on Memorial Day. This is a federal holiday observed on the last Monday in May. All U.S. stock exchanges shut down for the day, and no stocks can be bought or sold through normal market channels.

If you hold stocks or have standing orders to buy or sell, nothing happens on Memorial Day itself. Any orders you place will wait until the market reopens on Tuesday morning. The same applies to mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) — you cannot trade them during market closure, though you can still place orders that will execute when trading resumes.

Futures markets and some international exchanges may operate on Memorial Day, but U.S. stock market closures are firm. The SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) sets the official holiday calendar each year, and Memorial Day is always included.

Key Takeaways

  • The NYSE and NASDAQ close completely on Memorial Day, the last Monday in May, and no stock trades occur that day.
  • Orders you place on Memorial Day will not execute until the market reopens on Tuesday morning.
  • Mutual funds and ETFs also stop trading on Memorial Day, though you can place orders in advance.
  • The SEC publishes the official holiday calendar each year, and Memorial Day closures never change.
  • International stock exchanges may remain open on Memorial Day, but U.S. investors cannot trade U.S. stocks that day.

What happens to your orders on a market closure day

If you submit a buy or sell order through your brokerage on Memorial Day, the order sits in a queue. It does not execute at midnight or at any point during the holiday. Instead, it waits for the market to open at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday morning, when it enters the normal order flow.

This matters if you are trying to act on news or price movements. If something significant happens over the long weekend, you cannot trade until Tuesday. Your broker cannot fill your order faster or give you an advantage — everyone faces the same delay.

Some brokerages allow you to place orders in advance (called pre-market or after-hours orders), but these still do not execute until the regular market session begins. The timing is the same for all investors.

The full list of U.S. stock market holidays

Memorial Day is one of nine days when U.S. stock exchanges close completely. The others are New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Good Friday, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.

The market also closes early — at 1 p.m. Eastern Time instead of 4 p.m. — on the day after Thanksgiving and on Christmas Eve (if it falls on a weekday). The SEC publishes the official calendar on its website each year, and these dates do not change.

If a holiday falls on a weekend, the market observes it on the nearest weekday. For example, if Independence Day falls on a Saturday, the market closes on Friday instead. This adjustment happens automatically — you do not need to check which day the holiday "moves to."

Planning around market closures

If you know you want to buy or sell stock around a holiday, place your order before the market closes on the last trading day. For Memorial Day, that means Friday before the long weekend. Your order will sit until Tuesday morning and execute at the market open or during the regular session, depending on market conditions and the type of order you placed.

If you are waiting for news or earnings reports that might come out over the weekend, remember that you cannot react to them until Tuesday. This is one reason some investors set price alerts through their brokerage — you get notified if a stock moves significantly, even though you cannot trade until the market reopens.

Long weekends also mean less trading volume overall. When the market reopens after a three-day break, trading can be lighter than usual on Tuesday morning, which sometimes means wider bid-ask spreads (the difference between what buyers offer and what sellers ask). This is temporary and usually normalizes within the first hour of trading.

International markets and after-hours trading

While U.S. stock exchanges close on Memorial Day, some international exchanges remain open. If you own stocks listed on foreign exchanges, those may trade normally. However, if you own U.S.-listed stocks through a U.S. brokerage, you cannot trade them on Memorial Day, regardless of what happens overseas.

After-hours trading (trading that happens outside the 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. regular session) also stops on Memorial Day. Your brokerage will not accept orders during after-hours sessions on that day. The same applies to pre-market trading on Tuesday morning — it does not begin until the regular session opens.

What to do if you need to trade on a holiday

If you absolutely must trade on a day the U.S. stock market is closed, you have limited options. Some brokerages offer access to foreign exchanges or futures markets, but these are not the same as trading regular U.S. stocks. The prices, fees, and risks are different, and most individual investors do not use these routes.

The practical answer is to plan ahead. If you know you want to buy or sell before a holiday, do it on the last trading day. If news breaks over the weekend, you wait until Tuesday like everyone else. There is no way around the closure, and no brokerage can give you special access.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I place a stock order on Memorial Day that will execute when the market opens?

Yes. You can place an order on Memorial Day through your brokerage's website or app, and it will wait in the queue until the market opens at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday. The order executes during the regular session, subject to normal market conditions.

What if I forget to place an order before the market closes on Friday?

You can still place the order on Monday (Memorial Day), and it will execute on Tuesday morning. There is no penalty for placing an order during the holiday — it straightforward waits. The only downside is that you cannot react to any news that breaks over the weekend until the market reopens.

Do mutual funds and ETFs trade on Memorial Day?

No. Mutual funds and ETFs both stop trading on Memorial Day. You cannot buy or sell them that day. However, you can place orders in advance, and they will execute when the market reopens on Tuesday.

Is the stock market open on any other holidays besides the nine main ones?

No. The SEC sets the official holiday calendar, and it includes only those nine days. If a holiday falls on a weekend, the market observes it on the nearest weekday, but the total number of closures stays the same.

Can I trade stocks on international exchanges on Memorial Day?

Some international exchanges remain open on Memorial Day because it is a U.S. holiday, not a global one. However, if you own U.S.-listed stocks through a U.S. brokerage, you cannot trade them on Memorial Day, even if foreign markets are open.