You're ready to trade. You’ve got your morning coffee, your screens are glowing, and you're eyeing that specific stock that's been hovering right at its support level. But then you realize it’s the last Monday in May. If you're asking is stock market open Memorial Day, the short, blunt answer is no. It's closed.
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the Nasdaq both take the day off.
It’s one of those federal holidays where the financial gears of the United States basically grind to a halt. Honestly, it’s easy to get caught off guard because the world doesn't stop, and crypto markets certainly don't sleep, but the big institutional players in Manhattan definitely do. This isn't just a "bank holiday" where maybe some things stay open; the floor of the NYSE will be dark, and electronic trading for U.S. equities will be paused for the full 24-hour period.
The Specifics of the Memorial Day Market Schedule
When we talk about the market being "closed," we're usually referring to the big two: the NYSE and the Nasdaq. They follow the holiday schedule set by the federal government quite strictly. For Memorial Day 2026, which falls on May 25, you won’t be able to execute trades on these exchanges from the Sunday night prior through Monday night.
But it’s not just the stock market.
The bond market, which is overseen by the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), also closes. In fact, the bond market often closes early on the Friday before Memorial Day—usually around 2:00 PM Eastern Time—which can lead to some weird, thin liquidity if you’re trying to move money around right before the long weekend starts.
If you're a futures trader, things get a bit more nuanced. The CME Group (Chicago Mercantile Exchange) usually has abbreviated hours. You might see some overnight action on Sunday, but by the time Monday morning hits in the U.S., most of those products are halted. It’s a ghost town.
Why Does the Market Close Anyway?
Tradition matters in finance. Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day, emerging after the Civil War to honor those who died in military service. It became an official federal holiday in 1971. The stock market aligns itself with federal holidays to give its employees, floor traders, and clearinghouse staff a break, but also because the banking system it relies on for settlement is offline.
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Think about it this way: if the banks can't move the cash, the stocks can't really change hands in a meaningful, settled way.
What About International Markets and Crypto?
This is where people get tripped up. Just because Wall Street is quiet doesn't mean London, Tokyo, or Hong Kong are. The London Stock Exchange (LSE) or the Nikkei might be trading away while you're flipping burgers at a barbecue. However, since the U.S. market is the proverbial "800-pound gorilla" of global finance, volume on these international exchanges can often be lower than usual on American holidays.
Global investors are often hesitant to make massive moves when they don't know how the U.S. will react when it reopens on Tuesday.
And then there's Crypto.
Bitcoin doesn't care about Memorial Day. Ethereum doesn't care about the Civil War. If you are trading digital assets, the market is 100% open. You can buy, sell, and lose money at 3:00 AM on a holiday Monday just as easily as you can on a Tuesday afternoon. This often leads to "holiday volatility" where a lack of institutional oversight and lower liquidity can lead to sharper price swings in the crypto space.
Common Misconceptions About Holiday Trading
A lot of people think that "After-Hours Trading" or "Pre-Market Trading" might still happen on Memorial Day.
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Nope.
Those sessions are tethered to the regular trading day. If there is no regular trading day, there is no extended-hours session. If you place an order on your brokerage app on Saturday, Sunday, or Monday, it’s just going to sit there. It’ll be "pending" or "queued" until the opening bell at 9:30 AM Eastern on Tuesday morning.
I’ve seen beginners get frustrated because they see news break on a Sunday night and they want to "beat the rush." They put in a market order, forget about it, and then get hit with a massive price gap on Tuesday morning that they didn't expect.
Does the Market Always Go Up After Memorial Day?
There's a lot of "market lore" out there. You might have heard about the "Sell in May and Go Away" phenomenon. The idea is that the period from May to October is historically weaker for stocks. Memorial Day acts as the unofficial start of summer, and many traders historically would head to the Hamptons or take vacations, leading to "summer doldrums" where trading volume drops off.
Does it hold water? Sometimes.
According to the Stock Trader’s Almanac, the summer months can be sluggish, but it's not a hard rule. Some of the most explosive market moves have happened in July and August. Using a holiday like Memorial Day as a timing signal for your entire portfolio is generally a bad move. It’s better to look at the macro environment—inflation data, Fed interest rate decisions, and corporate earnings—rather than the calendar alone.
Planning Your Weekend: What to Check Before the Shutdown
Since the market is closed, you should probably handle your business by Friday afternoon.
If you have options expiring soon, or if you're worried about a specific earnings report that dropped late Thursday, Friday is your last chance to adjust your delta. Remember that "time decay" (theta) on options doesn't stop just because the exchange is closed. Those three days of the long weekend will eat into the value of your contracts if you're holding long positions.
Check your margin. If you’re riding close to a margin call, a long weekend is a dangerous time. If the market opens with a "gap down" on Tuesday, you might find yourself liquidated before you’ve even finished your first cup of coffee.
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Real-World Example: The 2023 Debt Ceiling Tensions
Back in 2023, Memorial Day was actually a pretty stressful time for the markets. There was a massive standoff in Washington D.C. over the debt ceiling. Investors were terrified that the U.S. might default. Because the market was closed on Memorial Day, everyone had to sit on their hands while politicians negotiated.
When a "deal in principle" was announced over the weekend, the markets couldn't react until Tuesday. This led to a huge surge in futures trading late Sunday night and a massive gap up on Tuesday morning. It’s a perfect example of how news doesn't stop for holidays, even if the trading floor does.
Strategies for the Tuesday Reopening
When the market finally reopens after being closed for Memorial Day, the first 30 minutes are usually chaotic.
Think about it: you have three days’ worth of pent-up news, global market movements, and retail investor anxiety all hitting the tape at once at 9:30 AM.
- Avoid Market Orders: If you place a market order at the open on Tuesday, you might get a "fill price" that is way higher or lower than you intended. Use limit orders to protect yourself.
- Watch the Futures: Check the S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures on Sunday night and Monday evening. They will give you a "tell" as to where the market wants to open.
- Volume Spikes: Expect high volume in the first hour on Tuesday, followed by a potential mid-day lull as the "summer" vibe starts to kick in.
Honestly, the best thing most investors can do on Memorial Day is actually take the day off. The markets are designed to be addictive, but a forced break is often a blessing in disguise. It gives you a chance to step back from the 1-minute charts and look at the weekly or monthly trends.
Actionable Steps for the Long Weekend
Don't just sit there wondering is stock market open Memorial Day; use the downtime to actually improve your position.
First, go through your portfolio on Saturday morning. Look for anything that has "drifted" too far from your original thesis. If you bought a tech stock for a quick swing trade and it’s now a "long-term investment" (we’ve all been there), use the quiet time to decide if you’re actually okay with that.
Second, set your alerts. Since you can’t trade on Monday, set price alerts on your phone for Tuesday. This prevents you from having to stare at the ticker the second the market opens.
Lastly, check the economic calendar for the week following the holiday. Usually, the first Friday after Memorial Day (or shortly thereafter) brings the Jobs Report (Non-Farm Payrolls). That is often a much bigger market mover than the holiday itself. Being prepared for the "Post-Holiday Volatility" is what separates the pros from the people who just gamble on hype.
Confirm your brokerage's specific rules. While the NYSE and Nasdaq are closed, some international desks at major firms like Charles Schwab or Fidelity might have different support hours. Make sure you know who to call if something goes sideways with your account over the break.
The market will be there on Tuesday. It isn't going anywhere. Enjoy the break, honor the day, and get back to the charts when the bell rings.