If you’re staring at a ticker right now wondering why the numbers aren't moving, or if you're trying to time a trade for first thing in the morning, the answer to is the stock open tomorrow depends entirely on what day it is on your calendar. Today is Saturday, January 17, 2026. Since tomorrow is Sunday, January 18, the short answer is a hard no.
The U.S. stock market—specifically the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the Nasdaq—stays dark on weekends. But it’s actually a bit more complicated than just "it's Sunday." We are currently sitting in the middle of a long three-day weekend.
Monday, January 19, 2026, is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. That’s a federal holiday. In the world of finance, that means the big exchange floors in New York won't be buzzing. No opening bell. No closing auction. Basically, if you were planning to jump into the market tomorrow or even the day after, you’re going to have to wait until Tuesday morning.
Why the Market Schedule is Kinda Weird in 2026
Honestly, keeping track of market holidays feels like a part-time job sometimes. The stock market doesn't just close for the "big ones" like Christmas or Thanksgiving. It follows a specific set of rules laid out by the exchanges years in advance.
For 2026, the MLK Day closure is the first major hurdle for traders after the New Year's Day reset. While the "regular" world might still be working or shopping on a Sunday or a Monday holiday, the equity markets are completely unplugged.
🔗 Read more: Company Letterhead Contract Feather: What Most People Get Wrong About Legal Branding
The Weekend Rule
It sounds basic, but you'd be surprised how many people forget that the market is strictly a Monday-through-Friday operation. Unless there's a specific exception, the NYSE and Nasdaq are closed every Saturday and Sunday.
If you place a trade on a Sunday, your brokerage will usually just "queue" it. It sits there in a digital waiting room until the next time the exchange opens its doors. In this specific case, that "next time" isn't until Tuesday, January 20, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time.
What About After-Hours and Futures?
Now, here is where it gets a little nerdy and where "open" becomes a relative term. While the stock market is closed tomorrow, "the market" as a global concept never really sleeps.
If you trade futures—like the S&P 500 E-minis or Crude Oil—those often trade on Sunday nights. CME Group (the big futures exchange) typically opens up Sunday evening around 6:00 p.m. ET. However, even they have "halt" times on holidays. For MLK Day 2026, many futures products will see a trading halt on Monday afternoon.
Crypto is the only true 24/7/365 beast. If you're trading Bitcoin or Ethereum, the question of is the stock open tomorrow doesn't even apply. You can lose (or make) money at 3:00 a.m. on a Sunday just as easily as you can on a Tuesday afternoon.
The 2026 Market Holiday Cheat Sheet
Since you’re already looking at the schedule, it’s worth noting the other days in 2026 when you’ll be locked out of the markets. The NYSE and Nasdaq are surprisingly consistent with these.
📖 Related: The Truth About Lunchly: Why MrBeast is Entering the Lunchables War
- Washington’s Birthday (Presidents Day): Monday, February 16
- Good Friday: Friday, April 3 (This one is weird because it's not a federal holiday, but the markets close anyway).
- Memorial Day: Monday, May 25
- Juneteenth: Friday, June 19
- Independence Day: Friday, July 3 (Observed, since the 4th is a Saturday).
- Labor Day: Monday, September 7
- Thanksgiving: Thursday, November 26 (With an early close on Friday the 27th).
- Christmas: Friday, December 25
The "Early Close" Trap
Don't let the early closes catch you off guard later this year. On the day after Thanksgiving (Black Friday) and Christmas Eve, the market doesn't just stay open like a normal day. It shuts down at 1:00 p.m. ET.
If you’re trying to sell a position at 3:30 p.m. on those days, you’re going to find a very quiet screen. Liquidity—basically the amount of buying and selling happening—usually dries up way before that 1:00 p.m. cutoff, too. It’s a dangerous time to trade if you’re looking for "fair" prices because the "spreads" (the gap between the buy and sell price) get wider when nobody is at their desks.
Bond Markets vs. Stock Markets
Just to make things even more confusing, the bond market plays by different rules. SIFMA (the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association) sets the bond schedule. Sometimes the bond market is closed while the stock market is open—like on Columbus Day (Indigenous Peoples' Day) or Veterans Day.
In 2026, those dates are Monday, October 12, and Wednesday, November 11. On those days, you can trade stocks, but the "fixed income" (bond) desks will be empty. This can lead to some weird, volatile price action in stocks because the two markets usually talk to each other.
Actionable Steps for the Long Weekend
Since the stock won't be open tomorrow or Monday, here is what you should actually do with that time:
- Check Your Open Orders: If you have a "Good 'Til Canceled" (GTC) order sitting out there, remember that it won't trigger until Tuesday morning. If big news breaks over the weekend, that order might execute at a price you no longer like.
- Audit Your Margin: If you’re holding positions on margin (borrowed money), remember that interest still accrues over the weekend and holidays, even though you can't trade.
- Watch the Futures Open: Tune in Sunday night at 6:00 p.m. ET. Even though you can't trade stocks yet, the futures market will give you a "preview" of how the market is reacting to any weekend news. It’s like a weather report for Tuesday's opening bell.
- Review the Earnings Calendar: Tuesday often starts with a bang because companies love to drop earnings reports right after a holiday weekend. Check if any of your holdings are on the list for the coming week.
The market is a marathon, not a sprint. Enjoy the break while the exchanges are dark. Use the downtime to look at your strategy with a clear head, because once that bell rings on Tuesday at 9:30 a.m., the chaos starts all over again.