The stock market closes at 4 p.m. Eastern Time on weekdays, but the exact time depends on which market you're watching and whether you're trading during regular hours or extended hours.

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and NASDAQ — the two largest U.S. stock markets — both stop accepting trades at 4 p.m. ET Monday through Friday. This is called the closing bell. Before that, the markets open at 9:30 a.m. ET, giving traders a regular six-and-a-half-hour window.

But the market does not shut down completely at 4 p.m. After-hours trading continues until 8 p.m. ET on most brokerages, and some brokers offer pre-market trading starting at 4 a.m. ET. The prices you see after 4 p.m. or before 9:30 a.m. are from these extended-hours sessions, where fewer traders are active and spreads between buy and sell prices are wider.

Stock markets are closed on weekends and on U.S. federal holidays. When a holiday falls on a weekday, the market does not open that day. Some holidays cause an early close at 1 p.m. ET instead of a full closure — this happens on the day after Thanksgiving and on Christmas Eve if it falls on a weekday.

Key Takeaways

  • The NYSE and NASDAQ close at 4 p.m. Eastern Time on regular trading days, Monday through Friday.
  • Extended-hours trading (pre-market and after-hours) happens outside the 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. window but involves fewer traders and wider price spreads.
  • Markets are closed on weekends and federal holidays, and some holidays trigger an early 1 p.m. close instead.
  • The closing time is the same year-round because the U.S. does not observe daylight saving time changes that affect market hours.

Regular Trading Hours and the Closing Bell

Regular trading on the NYSE and NASDAQ runs from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET. This six-and-a-half-hour window is when the vast majority of stock trades happen. At 4 p.m., the exchange stops accepting new orders, and any trades in progress are completed. The closing bell — a literal bell at the NYSE building in lower Manhattan — marks the moment the market officially closes.

The closing price of a stock is the last price at which it traded during regular hours. This price appears in financial news, on brokerage apps, and in your portfolio statements. Many investors use the closing price as a reference point for the day's performance, even though trading continues after hours.

Extended-Hours Trading Before and After 4 p.m.

If you want to trade outside the 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. window, most brokerages offer pre-market trading starting at 4 a.m. ET and after-hours trading until 8 p.m. ET. Not all stocks are available during these sessions, and not all brokers offer both. You will need to check your brokerage's rules.

Extended-hours trading is thinner — fewer buyers and sellers are active — so the difference between the price someone is willing to pay and the price someone is willing to sell (called the spread) is wider. A stock might close at $50 during regular hours but have a spread of $49.50 to $50.50 in after-hours trading. You may also face longer delays filling an order or not fill it at all.

News and earnings announcements often come out after 4 p.m., which can move stock prices sharply in extended-hours sessions. If you own a stock and earnings come out at 4:30 p.m., you will see the price move in after-hours trading, but you cannot trade it until the next regular session unless your broker offers after-hours access.

Market Closures on Weekends and Holidays

U.S. stock markets do not open on Saturdays or Sundays. If you place an order on Friday after 4 p.m., it will not execute until Monday at 9:30 a.m. at the earliest (or during pre-market if your broker offers it).

The markets are also closed on these federal holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. When a holiday falls on a weekday, the market does not open. When it falls on a weekend, the market is closed on the nearest weekday.

Two holidays trigger an early close at 1 p.m. ET instead of a full closure: the day after Thanksgiving (the Friday after Thanksgiving) and Christmas Eve (if it falls on a weekday). On these days, the market opens at 9:30 a.m. but closes at 1 p.m. instead of 4 p.m.

Why 4 p.m. Eastern Time

The 4 p.m. close is set by the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) and has been the standard for decades. It was chosen to give traders on the East Coast a full business day and to align with the opening of European markets the next morning. The time does not change with daylight saving time — when the U.S. switches to or from daylight saving, the market's 4 p.m. ET close stays the same, so it opens and closes at different times relative to other time zones.

If you are in a different time zone, you need to convert 4 p.m. ET to your local time. 4 p.m. ET is 3 p.m. CT, 2 p.m. MT, and 1 p.m. PT. If you are outside the U.S., check what time that is in your zone.

What Happens at the Closing Bell

At 4 p.m. ET, the exchange stops accepting new orders for regular trading. Any orders already in the system are filled at the closing price or cancelled if they cannot be filled. The closing price is determined by the last trades that executed during regular hours, not by after-hours activity.

Some traders place orders that are set to execute only at the close — these are called closing orders or market-on-close orders. These orders are filled at or near the closing price. If you place a regular market order after 4 p.m., it will sit in the queue and execute the next time the market is open, which is usually 9:30 a.m. the next trading day (or earlier if you use pre-market trading).

International Stock Markets and Their Closing Times

If you trade stocks on exchanges outside the U.S., they close at different times. The London Stock Exchange closes at 4:30 p.m. GMT (Greenwich Mean Time). The Tokyo Stock Exchange closes at 3 p.m. JST (Japan Standard Time). The Hong Kong Stock Exchange closes at 4 p.m. HKT (Hong Kong Time). Each exchange sets its own hours and holidays.

Some U.S. brokerages allow you to trade on foreign exchanges, but the process is different from trading U.S. stocks, and fees may be higher. Check your broker's offerings if you want to trade internationally.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I place an order after the market closes at 4 p.m.?

Yes, you can place an order after 4 p.m., but it will not execute until the market reopens. If you place a regular market order at 5 p.m., it will execute at 9:30 a.m. the next trading day (or during pre-market if your broker offers it and you set it up). If you want to trade between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., you need to use after-hours trading through your broker.

What time does the market close on the day before Thanksgiving?

The market closes at 1 p.m. ET on the Friday after Thanksgiving, not the day before. The day before Thanksgiving (Thursday) is a regular trading day with normal 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. hours. The market is closed on Thanksgiving Day itself.

If the market closes at 4 p.m. ET, what time does it close on the West Coast?

The market closes at 1 p.m. Pacific Time. The closing time is always 4 p.m. ET regardless of your location, so you need to convert to your time zone. 4 p.m. ET is 3 p.m. CT, 2 p.m. MT, and 1 p.m. PT.

Does the stock market close early on any days besides the day after Thanksgiving?

Yes, the market also closes at 1 p.m. ET on Christmas Eve if it falls on a weekday. All other trading days follow the regular 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. schedule.