Stock Market Hours and Global Trading Sessions
Direct answer: The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and NASDAQ regular trading hours are 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM ET, Monday through Friday, excluding U.S. market holidays. Pre-market trading runs 4:00 AM to 9:30 AM ET; after-hours trading runs 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM ET (extended hours vary by broker). Major global exchanges have overlapping sessions creating continuous 24-hour trading in FX and futures.
Major Exchange Trading Hours
| Exchange | Local Hours | ET Hours | Time Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| NYSE / NASDAQ | 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM | 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM ET | Eastern Time (ET) |
| Chicago Futures (CME) | 5:00 PM - 4:00 PM (next day, nearly 23 hours) | 5:00 PM - 4:00 PM ET (Sunday-Friday) | Central Time (CT, -1 hr from ET) |
| London Stock Exchange | 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM | 3:00 AM - 11:30 AM ET | GMT / BST |
| Euronext Paris / Frankfurt | 9:00 AM - 5:30 PM | 3:00 AM - 11:30 AM ET | CET (Central European Time) |
| Tokyo Stock Exchange | 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM (lunch 11:30-12:30) | 8:00 PM - 2:30 AM ET | JST (+9 hrs from ET) |
| Hong Kong Stock Exchange | 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM (lunch 12:00-1:00) | 9:30 PM - 4:00 AM ET | HKT (+8 hrs from ET) |
| Shanghai Stock Exchange | 9:30 AM - 3:00 PM (lunch 11:30-1:00) | 9:30 PM - 3:00 AM ET | CST (+8 hrs from ET) |
Source: NYSE: Market Hours and Calendars. Last verified: September 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What are the 2025 NYSE market holidays?
NYSE is closed on these 2025 dates: New Year's Day (January 1), Martin Luther King Jr. Day (January 20), Presidents Day (February 17), Good Friday (April 18), Memorial Day (May 26), Juneteenth (June 19), Independence Day (July 4), Labor Day (September 1), Thanksgiving Day (November 27), Christmas Day (December 25). Early close (1:00 PM ET) on: July 3 (before Independence Day) and November 28 (day after Thanksgiving). Note: Columbus Day and Veterans Day are NOT NYSE holidays; bond markets (SIFMA) close on those days but stock exchanges do not.
Do extended hours trades have different risks?
Pre-market and after-hours trading (extended hours) have important differences from regular session trading: (1) lower liquidity -- fewer market participants means wider bid-ask spreads and potentially significant price moves on small orders; (2) no market makers obligated to maintain quotes -- prices can gap dramatically; (3) limit orders only at most brokers (no market orders accepted); (4) news sensitivity -- earnings announcements and economic reports often release outside regular hours, causing large extended-hours moves that may partially reverse when the regular session opens; (5) routing limitations -- not all securities can be traded in extended hours; (6) prices not included in official daily open/close/high/low. Extended hours trading is appropriate for reacting to earnings or news; it is risky for routine trading.
What is the London-New York overlap and why does it matter for FX traders?
The London-New York overlap (approximately 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM ET) is the highest-liquidity period in global foreign exchange markets. London is the world's largest FX trading center (approximately 38% of global FX volume); New York is second (approximately 19%). When both centers are active simultaneously, bid-ask spreads narrow, depth improves, and large transactions can be executed with less market impact. Most of the day's large institutional FX flows (pension fund rebalancing, corporate hedges) occur during this window. For equity traders, the opening of U.S. markets at 9:30 AM ET while London is still active creates additional cross-market information flows and can amplify opening moves in U.S. stocks.