Stock Market Hours

What are Stock Market Hours?

Stock market hours refer to the trading hours of stock exchanges – the specific periods when stocks and securities can be bought and sold. Most major stock exchanges around the world have set hours for trading activity on weekdays.

US Stock Market Hours

The two largest stock exchanges in the United States are the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the Nasdaq Stock Market. Both operate under Eastern Standard Time (EST).

The regular trading session for both the NYSE and Nasdaq is 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM EST from Monday through Friday. This amounts to around 6.5 hours per day of trading activity. Stocks cannot be traded outside of these hours on these major exchanges.

There are also pre-market trading hours from 4:00 AM to 9:30 AM EST and after-hours trading from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM EST during weekdays on electronic communication networks (ECNs). These are known as the extended trading sessions. Certain brokers allow account holders to trade during these periods.

The NYSE and Nasdaq close for ten federal US holidays per calendar year:

New Year’s Day
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Presidents’ Day
Good Friday
Memorial Day
Juneteenth
Independence Day
Labor Day
Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Day

On days before certain holidays, the exchanges sometimes close early, at 1:00 PM EST. This includes Independence Day and Christmas Eve, when those days fall on weekdays.

UK Stock Market Hours

The London Stock Exchange (LSE) in the United Kingdom has regular market hours from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) on weekdays.

During Daylight Saving Time from late March through October, the UK switches to British Summer Time (BST), which is one hour ahead of GMT.

So, during half the year, LSE trading hours go from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM local UK time. The LSE has an official lunch break each weekday from 12:00 PM to 12:02 PM local UK time. Trading is halted during this break.

In addition, the LSE is closed during all these UK public holidays:

New Year’s Day
Good Friday
Easter Monday
Early May Bank Holiday
Spring Bank Holiday
Summer Bank Holiday
Christmas Day
Boxing Day

Trading hours are reduced on Christmas Eve (closes at 12:30 PM) and New Year’s Eve (closes at 12:30 PM).

Asian Stock Market Hours

Many major Asian stock exchanges have a midday break in trading, unlike Western stock markets. For example:

The Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) in Japan operates from 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM and 12:30 PM to 3:00 PM Japan Standard Time (JST) from Monday to Friday.
Similarly, the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) in China is active from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM and 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM local China time. This schedule is also followed by the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.
The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong (SEHK) operates from 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM Hong Kong local time.

Each exchange in Asia observes that country’s public holidays and may have reduced trading hours around those holidays.

Canadian Stock Market Hours

The Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) has trading hours from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM EST throughout the regular work week. This is the same schedule followed by the major US stock exchanges.

The TSX is closed during the following Canadian national holidays:

New Year’s Day
Family Day
Good Friday
Victoria Day
Canada Day
Civic Holiday
Labour Day
Thanksgiving
Christmas
Boxing Day

Trading ends early at 1:00 PM EST on Christmas Eve and Canada Day (when July 1 falls on a weekday).

European Stock Market Hours

The pan-European Euronext Stock Exchange is open for trading from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM Central European Time (CET) from Monday to Friday.

Trading on the Euronext closes for lunch between 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM CET each weekday.

In addition, the Euronext observes the following European public holidays:

New Year’s Day
Good Friday
Easter Monday
Labour Day
Christmas Day
December 26

How Does After-Hours Trading Extend Stock Market Hours?

After-hours trading refers to buying and selling securities when the major stock exchanges like the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Nasdaq are officially closed. Brokerages allow clients to trade outside regular hours through electronic communication networks (ECNs).

After-hours trading sessions generally run from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM EST on weekdays for US exchanges. There is also pre-market trading from 4:00 AM to 9:30 AM before the exchanges open. Combined, they are known as extended-hours trading.

After-hours trading provides investors more flexibility on when they can trade. These extended sessions allow market participants to react instantly to major announcements that occur outside regular hours. However, liquidity and volatility risks are higher compared to the regular session.

While most brokerages enable after-hours trades, some only allow selling and limit the types of orders that can be placed during extended hours due to the risks involved. Investors should always check with their broker what their specific policies are concerning these extended sessions.

Major World Stock Exchanges and Their Hours

Here is a summary of some of the major stock exchanges around the world with their regular weekday opening and closing times:

North America

New York Stock Exchange: 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM EST
Nasdaq Stock Market: 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM EST
Toronto Stock Exchange: 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM EST

Europe

London Stock Exchange: 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM GMT
Euronext Paris: 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM CET

Asia

Tokyo Stock Exchange: 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM JST
Hong Kong Stock Exchange: 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM HKT
Bombay Stock Exchange: 9:15 AM to 3:30 PM IST

Understanding the trading hours of the world’s major stock exchanges can help investors seek new trading opportunities in international markets. Paying attention to time zone differences allows market participants to trade stocks effectively based on news and events happening abroad as well.