So, you woke up ready to trade, but the charts look suspiciously still. It happens. Dealing with the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) or Nasdaq schedule can feel like a guessing game if you aren't staring at a calendar every morning.
Is us market open today? Since it is Sunday, January 18, 2026, the short answer is no. But there is a lot more to the story than just "it's the weekend."
Sundays are always a dead zone for the big U.S. equity exchanges. They stick to a rigid Monday through Friday schedule. But even as we look toward tomorrow, things get complicated. Tomorrow, Monday, January 19, 2026, is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. That means the "long weekend" is actually a three-day stretch where the doors stay locked at 11 Wall Street.
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Is US Market Open Today or Tomorrow?
Basically, you’ve hit a double-whammy of closures. Today is Sunday, and tomorrow is a major federal holiday. On MLK Day, both the NYSE and Nasdaq shut down completely. No pre-market trading at 4:00 a.m. No closing bell at 4:00 p.m.
It’s just dark.
Interestingly, the bond market—which usually plays by its own set of rules—is also taking the day off. While stocks and bonds don't always agree on holidays (the bond market stays closed on Columbus Day and Veterans Day while stocks stay open), they are perfectly aligned for this one. If you’re trying to move money or execute trades, you’re basically stuck until Tuesday morning.
The 2026 Holiday Trap
A lot of people forget that if a holiday falls on a weekend, the market usually observes it on the nearest weekday. In 2026, Independence Day (July 4th) lands on a Saturday. Because of that, the markets will actually close on Friday, July 3rd.
If you don't keep track of those "observed" dates, you'll find yourself staring at a frozen Robinhood or Fidelity screen wondering if your internet is broken.
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What Actually Happens When the Market is Closed?
Just because the "Core Trading Session" isn't running doesn't mean the entire world of finance stops spinning. It sort of just shifts gears.
You've got a few things still moving in the background:
- Globex/Futures: While the cash market (actual stocks) is closed, futures often trade on a modified schedule. For instance, CME Group often has "halt" times on holidays like MLK Day where they stop at noon and reopen in the evening.
- Crypto: Bitcoin and Ethereum don't care about Martin Luther King Jr. or the weekend. They trade 24/7/365. If you absolutely need that dopamine hit of a moving green candle, crypto is your only venue today.
- Foreign Markets: The London Stock Exchange or the Tokyo Nikkei might be open when the U.S. is closed, depending on their own local holidays.
Honestly, these breaks are kinda necessary. They provide a "cooling off" period. In a high-frequency trading world, a 72-hour pause can prevent the kind of emotional cascading that happens during a rough week.
Understanding the "Real" Hours
When the market finally does open on Tuesday, January 20th, it won't just "start" at 9:30 a.m. Eastern. That's a common misconception.
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Most retail traders think of the market as 9:30 to 4:00. In reality, the "Early Trading Session" begins as early as 4:00 a.m. ET for many brokers. If you've ever seen a stock gap up or down significantly before the opening bell, that's why. Professional traders and institutional desks are already duking it out while you’re still making coffee.
Then there is the "Late Trading Session." This runs from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET. This is where the real drama happens during earnings season. A company like Nvidia or Apple drops their numbers at 4:05 p.m., and the stock might move 10% before the average person even hears the news.
Why Today Matters for Your Strategy
Even though the is us market open today answer is a "no," smart investors use these gaps. Use this Sunday to look at the macro picture.
Check the 10-year Treasury yield. Look at the US Dollar Index (DXY). These often provide the "weather report" for how stocks will behave when the opening bell finally rings on Tuesday. Historically, the week following MLK Day can be volatile as investors digest news from the long weekend and prepare for the meat of Q4 earnings season.
Actionable Steps for the Long Weekend
- Check Your Limit Orders: If you have "Good 'Til Canceled" (GTC) orders sitting out there, remember they won't trigger until Tuesday. If news drops over the weekend, you might want to adjust those prices before the Tuesday pre-market surge.
- Verify Dividend Dates: If you're chasing dividends, make sure you know the ex-dividend date. Since Monday is a holiday, the settlement cycle (which is now T+1) might shift.
- Review the Earnings Calendar: Heavy hitters usually start reporting in late January. Use this downtime to see which of your holdings are stepping up to the plate this week.
- Watch the Futures Reopen: Watch the S&P 500 futures (ES) on Sunday night around 6:00 p.m. ET. It’ll give you a hint of the sentiment, though remember that liquidity is thin and "Sunday night syndrome" can lead to fake-outs.
The market will be back to its usual chaotic self at 9:30 a.m. ET on Tuesday, January 20, 2026. Until then, enjoy the silence.