If you’re staring at your trading terminal today, Thursday, January 15, 2026, wondering why the tickers aren’t moving or why your orders are sitting in limbo, the answer depends entirely on where you are sitting.
The short version? If you are trading on Wall Street, you’re good to go. But if you’re looking at the big Indian indices like the Nifty 50 or the Sensex, you’ve hit a brick wall.
Today is a weird one. It’s not a global bank holiday, yet it has managed to throw a wrench into the plans of thousands of traders who didn't check the late-breaking notifications earlier this week. Basically, there is a massive split in the global financial world right now, and missing the memo can cost you serious money in missed opportunities or failed expiries.
Are the markets closed today in the United States?
No. The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the Nasdaq are wide open.
Wall Street doesn't take a breather for January 15. The core trading session in New York kicked off right at 9:30 a.m. ET and will run until the closing bell at 4:00 p.m. ET. If you are trading Apple, Nvidia, or the S&P 500, business is continuing as usual.
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Wait.
Before you get too comfortable, you should probably look ahead at the calendar. We are currently in the middle of a short-squeeze week for the U.S. markets. While today is a full trading day, the markets will be completely shuttered this coming Monday, January 19, 2026, for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Historically, the days leading up to a long holiday weekend see a significant dip in volume as the big "smart money" players on institutional desks start squaring off their positions. You’ve likely noticed the volatility picking up today; that’s just the usual pre-holiday shuffle starting a few days early.
The unexpected shutdown: Why India is dark
While the U.S. is humming along, the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) are completely closed today, January 15.
This wasn't actually on the original holiday calendar that most people downloaded at the start of the year. It’s a late addition. The Maharashtra state government declared a public holiday under the Negotiable Instruments Act because of the massive Municipal Corporation Elections happening across the state, including the high-stakes Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls.
Because the financial heart of India—Mumbai—is effectively at the ballot box, the exchanges decided they couldn't stay open.
- Equity Segment: Closed.
- Derivatives (F&O): Closed.
- SLB Segment: Closed.
Honestly, this caused a bit of a panic for retail traders who weren't paying attention. Usually, the Sensex weekly expiry happens on Thursdays. Because of the closure, that expiry was "pre-poned"—a classic bit of Indian financial jargon—to yesterday, Wednesday, January 14. If you were holding options thinking you had one more day to hit your strike, you likely found out the hard way that the clock ran out 24 hours early.
What about the rest of the world?
If you're a global macro trader, the map is a bit of a checkerboard.
- London (LSE): Open. The UK is operating on a standard schedule.
- Tokyo (TSE): Open. Japan already had its "Coming of Age Day" holiday earlier this week (January 12), so they are back to full steam.
- Hong Kong & Shanghai: Open. Traders there are mostly eyeing the upcoming Lunar New Year, but for today, the lights are on.
It’s easy to assume that because one major market is open, they all are. That’s a mistake. Even the bond markets can be finicky. In the U.S., while the stock market is open today, bond liquidity is already starting to thin out in anticipation of the federal holiday on Monday.
The "Settlement Holiday" confusion
One thing people often get wrong when asking "are the markets closed today" is the difference between a trading holiday and a settlement holiday.
Today in India, it is both. But sometimes, the markets are technically open for trading, but the banks are closed. On those days, you can buy and sell stocks, but the money doesn't actually move into or out of your account until the next business day.
In the U.S., we don't really have this "split" as often, but it’s a huge factor in emerging markets. If you sold a position yesterday in Mumbai, don't expect to see those funds hit your bank account today. Everything is on ice until the election officials finish counting the votes and the banks reopen on Friday.
Navigating the 2026 January slump
January is notoriously tricky. You have the "January Effect" where small-caps tend to outperform, but you also have these staggered holidays that break up the momentum.
When the market is closed in one region but open in another, we see a lot of "price gapping." For example, because the Indian markets are closed today, any major news coming out of the U.S. markets tonight will be baked into a massive "gap up" or "gap down" when the NSE opens tomorrow morning at 9:15 a.m. IST.
You can't react in real-time. You're basically a passenger.
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Actionable steps for the next 24 hours:
- Check your expiries: If you are trading international derivatives, always verify if a local holiday has moved the expiry date. January 15 is the perfect example of how a local election can move a multi-billion dollar expiry.
- Prepare for Monday: The U.S. market closure on January 19 means you have a three-day weekend coming up. Check your margin levels. Volatility often spikes on the Friday before a long weekend.
- Watch the Rupee: With the Indian markets closed but global forex markets open, the USD/INR pair might see some "synthetic" movement based on what happens in the U.S. sessions today.
- Audit your calendar: Don't rely on the PDF you printed in December. Local governments (like Maharashtra) frequently add "ad-hoc" holidays for elections or sudden state funerals.
The markets aren't a single machine; they're a collection of regional hubs that don't always talk to each other. Today is a stark reminder that while one side of the world is chasing the next AI rally, the other side is just trying to make sure the local voting booths are staffed.