business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or buying and selling products (such as goods and services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for profit." Having a business name does not separa ...

, the trading day or regular trading hours (RTH) is the time span that a

stock exchange A stock exchange, securities exchange, or bourse is an exchange where stockbrokers and traders can buy and sell securities, such as shares of stock, bonds and other financial instruments. Stock exchanges may also provide facilities for the ...

is open, as opposed to electronic or extended trading hours (ETH). For example, the

New York Stock Exchange The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed co ...

is, as of 2020, open from 9:30 AM

Eastern Time The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Peru, and a small port ...

to 4:00 PM

. Trading days are usually Monday through Friday. When a trading day ends, all trading ends and is frozen in time until the next trading day begins. There are several special circumstances which would lead to a shortened trading day, or no trading day at all, such as on holidays or on days when a

state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements o ...

of a

head of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...

is scheduled to take place. The NYSE and NASDAQ average about 252 trading days a year. This is from 365.25 (days on average per year) * 5/7 (proportion work days per week) - 6 (weekday holidays) - 4*5/7 (fixed date holidays) = 252.03 ≈ 252. The holidays where the stock exchange is closed are

New Year's Day New Year's Day is a festival observed in most of the world on 1 January, the first day of the year in the modern Gregorian calendar. 1 January is also New Year's Day on the Julian calendar, but this is not the same day as the Gregorian one. Whi ...

Martin Luther King Jr. Day Martin Luther King Jr. Day (officially Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., and sometimes referred to as MLK Day) is a federal holiday in the United States marking the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. It is observed on the third Mond ...

Presidents' Day Presidents' Day, also called Washington's Birthday at the federal governmental level, is a holiday in the United States celebrated on the third Monday of February to honor all persons who served as presidents of the United States and, since 187 ...

Good Friday Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday (also Holy ...

Memorial Day Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monday ...

Juneteenth Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. Deriving its name from combining "June" and "nineteenth", it is celebrated on the anniversary of General Order No. 3, i ...

Independence Day An independence day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or more rarely after the end of a military occupation. Many ...

Labor Day Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United S ...

Thanksgiving Day Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden and ...

, and

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...

; there are also some holidays where trading is permitted, including

Columbus Day Columbus Day is a national holiday in many countries of the Americas and elsewhere, and a federal holiday in the United States, which officially celebrates the anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas on October 12, 1492. ...

Veterans Day Veterans Day (originally known as Armistice Day) is a federal holiday in the United States observed annually on November 11, for honoring military veterans of the United States Armed Forces (who were discharged under conditions other than d ...

, and

New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the December 31, last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly ...

. For Juneteenth, Independence Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day if they fall on a weekend day, the next consecutive weekday has the holiday observed and the market closed on that date. Up to three trading days (July 3, the day after Thanksgiving, and

Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas Day, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipatio ...

) are shortened, ''i.e.'' the exchanges are open from 9:30AM–1:00PM, depending on where they fall in the calendar year (if July 3 or Christmas Eve fall on a weekend, the shortened day is simply skipped).

was added as a national holiday and market holiday on June 17, 2021.

Trading day calendar

2016

There are exactly 252 trading days in 2016. January has the fewest (19), and August the most (23), with an average of 21 per month, or 63 per quarter. Out of a possible 366 days, 105 days are weekend days (Saturday and Sunday) when the stock exchanges are closed. Eight of the nine holidays which close the exchanges fall on weekdays, with Christmas being observed on Monday, December 26. There is one shortened trading session on Friday, November 25 (the day after Thanksgiving Day).

2017

There are exactly 251 trading days in 2017. February and April have the fewest (19), and March and August the most (23), with an average of 20.9 per month, or 62.8 per quarter. Out of a possible 365 days, 105 days are weekend days (Saturday and Sunday) when the stock exchanges are closed. Eight of the nine holidays which close the exchanges fall on weekdays, with New Year's Day being observed on Monday, January 2. There are two shortened trading sessions: on Monday, July 3 (the day before Independence Day), and on Friday, November 24 (the day after Thanksgiving Day).

2018

There are exactly 252 trading days in 2018. February and September have the fewest (19), and August the most (23), with an average of 21 per month, or 63 per quarter. Out of a possible 365 days, 104 days are weekend days (Saturday and Sunday) when the stock exchanges are closed. All nine holidays which close the exchanges fall on weekdays. There are three shortened trading sessions: on Tuesday, July 3 (the day before Independence Day), on Friday, November 23 (the day after Thanksgiving Day), and on Monday, December 24, (Christmas Eve). On December 5, 2018, all trading activities (except for stock market futures) were canceled due to the state funeral of George H. W. Bush.

2019

There are exactly 252 trading days in 2019. February has the fewest (19), and October the most (23), with an average of 21 per month, or 63 per quarter. Out of a possible 365 days, 104 days are weekend days (Saturday and Sunday) when the stock exchanges are closed. All nine holidays which close the exchanges fall on weekdays. There are three shortened trading sessions: on Wednesday, July 3 (the day before Independence Day), on Friday, November 29 (the day after Thanksgiving Day), and on Tuesday, December 24 (Christmas Eve).

2020

There are exactly 253 trading days in 2020. February has the fewest (19), and March, June, July, October and December the most (22), with an average of 21 per month, or 63 per quarter. Out of a possible 366 days, 104 days are weekend days (Saturday and Sunday) when the stock exchanges are closed. Eight of the nine holidays which close the exchanges fall on weekdays, with Independence Day being observed on Friday, July 3. There are two shortened trading sessions: on Friday, November 27 (the day after Thanksgiving Day), and on Thursday, December 24 (Christmas Eve).

2021

There are exactly 252 trading days in 2021. January and February have the fewest (19), and March the most (23), with an average of 21 per month, or 63 per quarter. Out of a possible 365 days, 104 days are weekend days (Saturday and Sunday) when the stock exchanges are closed. Seven of the nine holidays which close the exchanges fall on weekdays, with Independence Day being observed on Monday, July 5, and Christmas on Friday, December 24. There is one shortened trading session on Friday, November 26 (the day after Thanksgiving Day).

2022

There are exactly 251 trading days in 2022. February has the fewest (19), and March and August the most (23), with an average of 21 per month, or 63 per quarter. Out of a possible 365 days, 105 days are weekend days (Saturday and Sunday) when the stock exchanges are closed. Seven of the ten holidays which close the exchanges fall on weekdays, with Christmas Day being observed on Monday, December 26, Juneteenth being observed on Monday, June 20, and no observation for New Year’s Day. There is one shortened trading session on Friday, November 25 (the day after Thanksgiving Day).

2023

There are exactly 250 trading days in 2023. February and April have the fewest (19), and March and August the most (23), with an average of 21 per month, or 63 per quarter. Out of a possible 365 days, 105 days are weekend days (Saturday and Sunday) when the stock exchanges are closed. Nine of the ten holidays which close the exchanges fall on weekdays, with New Year’s Day being observed on Monday, January 2. There are two shortened trading sessions: Monday, July 3 (the day before Independence Day), and on Friday, November 24 (the day after Thanksgiving Day).

2024

There are exactly 252 trading days in 2024. June has the fewest (19), and October the most (23), with an average of 21 per month, or 63 per quarter. Out of a possible 366 days, 104 days are weekend days (Saturday and Sunday) when the stock exchanges are closed. All ten holidays which close the exchanges fall on weekdays. There are two shortened trading sessions: Wednesday, July 3 (the day before Independence Day), and on Friday, November 29 (the day after Thanksgiving Day).

Trading day time zones

Each stock exchange has opening hours that are based on specific time zones. People can trade in these exchanges remotely using

electronic trading In finance, an electronic trading platform also known as an online trading platform, is a computer software program that can be used to place orders for financial products over a network with a financial intermediary. Various financial products c ...

platforms. For those trading in different parts of the world, there are unique trading days based on the hours associated with any given time zone. For example, NASDAQ is open 9:30-16:00 ET and anyone outside of the

Eastern Time Zone The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Peru, and a small port ...

will have a different trading day (for example, in Vancouver a trading day would run from 6:30-13:00). During the part of the year when North America is on standard time, in it would be 17:30-24:00 in Moscow, and in Shanghai it would be 22:30-5:00. Remote traders should find their trading hours based on the stock exchange's hours and time zone.

References

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