Before you buy US stocks, you need to answer a very practical question: what time does the US market open and close? This piece lays out the regular session, pre-market and after-hours, and — most worth keeping as a reference — the 2026 holidays, all in one place. That holiday table in particular is worth bookmarking.
One reminder: the regular session is in Eastern Time, and converting it to your local time shifts with daylight saving, so this piece doesn't hard-write a local time. Pre-market and after-hours are per what your Binance platform currently shows; holidays are per the exchanges' official announcements. Everything here was verified through 2026-06-30.
1. The regular session and converting to local time
The regular US trading session runs 9:30 to 16:00 Eastern Time, Monday to Friday — six and a half hours a day. This is the common session for the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Nasdaq (Nasdaq); there's no trading at all on weekends and holidays. Whether you can place an order isn't just about the clock — it also depends on whether the day is a trading day.
Many people want a ready-made “what time is the open in my local time” answer, but that conversion shifts with the season: most of the US switches between daylight and standard time twice a year, so the offset between Eastern Time and your local zone changes accordingly. The same “9:30 ET open” lands at two different local clock times across the two seasons. So the right way to remember it is to keep the fixed 9:30–16:00 ET window in mind, and let the local equivalent be whatever the current conversion or the platform shows — don't memorize one fixed local time. When you can't work out the offset, the simplest option is to check the US market status / holiday tool for whether it's open right now. If US-market mechanics are still hazy, start with US stocks for beginners.
2. Pre-market and after-hours: go by the platform
Beyond the regular session, the US market has two extended windows — pre-market and after-hours — collectively “extended-hours trading”; Investopedia has a plain-language explainer of the basics. The key point: whether you can trade pre-market and after-hours, and how the windows are defined, is per what your Binance platform currently shows — not every account, instrument, or window is open across the board. Log into your account and check whether your target ticker can be ordered in the extended session; the platform's labeling is the most accurate.
A few things to keep in mind about extended hours: liquidity is usually lower (fewer participants, so the order book can be thin), price swings can be larger (in quiet trading, a single order's impact is magnified), and the bid-ask spread can be wider. This isn't to scare you — it's a reminder for beginners not to jump straight into heavy pre-market or after-hours activity. To walk the full path from opening an account to placing an order, see the complete guide to buying US stocks on Binance.
3. The 2026 US market holiday calendar
On a holiday the market is closed all day, and pre-market and after-hours don't run either. The table below lists the 2026 official holidays for NYSE and Nasdaq, per the exchanges' official announcements. It's for reference only, and the dates are in Eastern local time.
| Date (ET) | Holiday |
|---|---|
| January 1 | New Year's Day |
| January 19 | Martin Luther King Jr. Day |
| February 16 | Presidents' Day |
| April 3 | Good Friday |
| May 25 | Memorial Day |
| June 19 | Juneteenth |
| July 3 | Independence Day (observed) |
| September 7 | Labor Day |
| November 26 | Thanksgiving |
| December 25 | Christmas |
Reading the table: on these ten days the market is closed all day — no regular session, and no pre-market or after-hours. For a holiday like Independence Day, if the actual date falls on a weekend, the exchanges may observe it on an adjacent business day; July 3 above is exactly that case. The official dates are per the NYSE and Nasdaq announcements.
4. What early-close days are about
Besides full-day holidays, the US market has a category of “early-close days”: it opens as usual but closes earlier than normal, commonly around the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and similar. The exact dates and closing times are per the exchanges' official announcements; these arrangements can differ year to year, and the after-hours window that day may also be shortened or dropped. The practical impact: if you plan to trade in the afternoon on one of these days, check the exchange's annual calendar or a tool first for what time it closes, rather than discovering an early close at the usual bell.
5. How to confirm any day whether the market is open
At the moment you place an order, what you really want is a single answer: can I trade right now? The easiest route is to open the US market status / holiday tool, which tells you whether today is a trading day and whether it's currently in the regular session or closed; or log into your account and check whether the target ticker can be ordered — the account display already factors in the day's trading calendar and the platform's coverage, so it's closest to your real situation. Keep a mental yardstick of Eastern Time (9:30–16:00, closed on weekends, closed on holidays) to cross-check, and you'll rarely get it wrong.
A reminder: this feature is only for eligible non-US users; the US, Canada, the UK, Australia and similar are generally excluded — don't rush to deposit before you've confirmed eligibility.
6. Frequently asked questions
What time does the US market open and close?
The regular session runs 9:30 to 16:00 Eastern Time, Monday to Friday. Converting to your local time shifts with daylight saving, so go by the current conversion or what the platform shows.
Can I trade US stocks on weekends?
Neither the regular session nor extended hours run on weekends. The US market schedules trading days by Eastern-Time business days; Saturday and Sunday are closed all day.
Am I guaranteed to be able to trade pre-market and after-hours?
Not necessarily. Whether pre-market and after-hours trading is available, and how the windows are defined, is per what your Binance platform currently shows; it can differ by account and instrument, so checking the actual status in your account is the most accurate.
How do I know whether a given day is a holiday?
Check the table in section 3 above, or use the US market status / holiday tool; ultimately, go by the official NYSE and Nasdaq announcements. On a full-day holiday, neither the regular session nor pre-market/after-hours runs.
7. Risk and disclaimer
Please read this section. Getting the trading hours straight only answers “when you can act” — being able to act doesn't mean you should.
- Time-basis risk: the regular session is in Eastern Time, and the local-time conversion shifts with daylight saving; pre/after-hours and holiday arrangements can change, all per current official terms.
- Extended-hours risk: pre-market and after-hours usually have lower liquidity, potentially larger swings, and possibly wider spreads; beginners should take part with caution.
- Market risk: stocks rise and fall, principal can be lost, and no one can predict short-term moves.
- Eligibility and compliance risk: this feature is only for eligible non-US users; the US, Canada, the UK, Australia and similar are generally excluded, per current official terms.