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Stock market half days and early closes

US stocks close early, at 1:00 p.m. ET, on just a few days a year. The bond market closes early, at 2:00 p.m. ET, on more days. The two lists are different, and mixing them up is the most common mistake.

Beginner guide · 7-minute read · Updated 2026-11-01

When the stock market closes early

The NYSE and Nasdaq close early, at 1:00 p.m. ET, on the day after Thanksgiving and, most years, on Christmas Eve. Some years add the day before Independence Day, but 2026 and 2027 don't. Those are the "half days" for stocks.

Here are the stock market's early closes for 2026:

And for 2027:

Source: nyse.com.

2027 has only one. Christmas Day 2027 falls on a Saturday, so the market is closed all day on Friday, December 24. There's no half day before it.

On a half day the session runs 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. ET. Some eligible options trade until 1:15 p.m. ET. Your broker's pre-market and after-hours sessions usually shorten too, so check your broker's holiday notice for its exact times.

The bond market's early closes are different

The bond market doesn't follow the NYSE. It follows SIFMA, the trade group for US bond dealers. SIFMA recommends an early close at 2:00 p.m. ET, an hour after stocks, and on more days.

SIFMA's early closes for 2026:

Source: sifma.org.

SIFMA's times are recommendations. Each firm decides for itself.

One more 2026 bond date is unusual. On Good Friday, April 3, 2026, the stock market was closed all day, but bonds traded in the morning. SIFMA's call for that day: early close 12:00 p.m. ET (not a full close). The reason: the March jobs report came out that morning.

Stocks vs bonds, side by side

This is where many holiday lists go wrong. Several of the bond market's early closes are normal full days for stocks.

So the stock market has no early close on July 2, 2026, even though July 3 is a holiday. It also trades a full day on New Year's Eve. If a list tells you otherwise, it has mixed in the bond dates.

For the days the bond market closes completely, see bond market holidays. For full stock market closures, see stock market holidays 2027.

What a half day does to options

Most options expire on Fridays. The day after Thanksgiving is always a Friday. So in any year, weekly options that expire that Friday stop trading at the early close, not at 4:00. That's 1:00 p.m. ET, or 1:15 p.m. for some eligible options.

The monthly options aren't affected in 2026 or 2027. Their third-Friday dates don't land on a half day. You can check every one in our options expiration calendar.

What changes for a seller holding a weekly on a half day:

1. Three fewer hours. If you planned to close or roll in the afternoon, the afternoon is gone.
2. Earlier broker cutoffs. Brokers often set their own cutoff before the close. On a short day that comes even sooner.
3. A thin market. Fewer traders show up after a holiday. The gap between the bid and the ask can be wider, which makes closing a trade cost more.
4. Your option's final price is set at 1:00 p.m. Whether you're assigned depends on where the stock is then.

A worked example (hypothetical)

Here's a made-up case, an illustration, not a trade idea.

You sell one cash-secured put on a made-up stock, Lantern Freight Lines, expiring on the Friday after Thanksgiving 2027. The strike is $60. You collect $0.80 a share, or $80.

Your plan: "If it's close on Friday, I'll buy it back around 3:00." But the market closes at 1:00. At 12:30 the stock is at $59, falling, and you're at the family table. It closes at $57. You're assigned 100 shares at $60.

The math at $57: the shares are worth $5,700 but cost $6,000. That's −$300. Add the $80 premium, and you're at −$220. Then the weekend starts.

The plan was fine. The clock was wrong. On a half day, every "this afternoon" in your plan needs to move to the morning.

How to plan around early closes

• Mark the half days at the start of the year. There are only a few for stocks. Our economic calendar 2027 has them with every other key date.
• Check today's status. Is the stock market open today? shows when there's an early close.
• Count the trading days. A week with Thanksgiving in it has three and a half trading days. The trading days calculator counts them for any two dates.
• Convert the time. 1:00 p.m. ET is 10:00 a.m. on the West Coast. The market hours tool does the conversion for you.

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