You wake up, coffee in hand, ready to see how your portfolio is holding up after yesterday's volatility. You check the clock. It's almost 9:30 a.m. ET. But then that nagging question hits: is today a holiday? Do I actually have a window to trade, or am I just staring at frozen candles?
Honestly, keeping track of the market calendar feels like a part-time job sometimes. Between "observed" holidays and random early closures, it’s easy to get turned around.
If you are wondering are the stock market open today, Friday, January 16, 2026, the short answer is: Yes, the U.S. stock market is open for a full day of regular trading.
While we are approaching a major long weekend with Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, January 19, the exchanges are operating on a completely normal schedule today. The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the Nasdaq are both humming along. No early exit. No special "bank holiday" hours for the equities side. You have until the 4:00 p.m. ET closing bell to make your moves.
The Standard Schedule for Today
For most of us, today is just another Friday on Wall Street. The "Core Trading Session"—which is the fancy way the NYSE and Nasdaq describe the time most people actually trade—runs from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET.
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But the "market" is actually active way longer than that.
- Pre-Market: Started as early as 4:00 a.m. ET for some ECNs (Electronic Communication Networks).
- Opening Bell: 9:30 a.m. ET.
- Closing Bell: 4:00 p.m. ET.
- After-Hours: Runs until 8:00 p.m. ET.
Wait, Why Did I Think It Was Closed?
It’s likely because of the upcoming Monday. In 2026, Martin Luther King Jr. Day falls on January 19. On that day, the NYSE and Nasdaq will be fully closed.
Bond markets are a slightly different beast. While the stock market is wide open today, the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) sometimes recommends early closures for fixed-income markets (bonds) ahead of long weekends. If you're trading Treasury notes or municipal bonds, you might see liquidity dry up a bit earlier than usual this afternoon, typically around 2:00 p.m. ET.
Why the "Are the Stock Market Open Today" Question is Tricky
The reason people search for this so often is that the stock market doesn't follow the federal holiday calendar perfectly.
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Take Veterans Day or Columbus Day (Indigenous Peoples' Day). The post office is closed. The banks are closed. Most government employees are off. But the stock market? It stays open. Traders are still at their desks.
Then you have the "Early Close" days. These usually happen on the Friday after Thanksgiving or the day before (or after) Christmas and July 4th. On those days, the market shuts down at 1:00 p.m. ET. But today, January 16, isn't one of them.
What About International Markets?
If you're looking beyond U.S. borders, it's a regular Friday in London (LSE), Tokyo (TSE), and Hong Kong (HKEX) as well. None of the major global players have a significant conflicting holiday today.
However, it is worth noting that some regional exchanges in Asia occasionally have "half-day" sessions or specific local festivals that can throw a wrench in your global trading strategy. For today, though, the world's financial engines are mostly in sync.
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Actionable Insights for Today’s Trading
Since we are heading into a three-day weekend (with the market closed this coming Monday), today usually sees some specific behaviors:
- Profit Taking: Many traders don't like holding high-risk positions over a long weekend. You might see some selling pressure in the final hour (3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET) as people "flatten" their books.
- Higher Volatility: The "Friday Effect" is real. With a three-day gap until the next opening bell, news that breaks on Saturday or Sunday can't be traded on until Tuesday morning. This often leads to a bit of a scramble right before the bell.
- Volume Dips: Conversely, if there’s no major news, volume can actually be lower as institutional traders head out early for the weekend.
If you have orders sitting out there, double-check your "Good 'Til Canceled" (GTC) settings. Since Monday is a holiday, any order that doesn't fill today will sit idle until Tuesday, January 20. A lot can happen in the world in those 72 hours.
Upcoming 2026 Market Closures
To help you plan ahead and stop frantically searching the morning of, here are the next few times the market will actually be locked:
- Monday, January 19: Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Closed)
- Monday, February 16: Presidents' Day (Closed)
- Friday, April 3: Good Friday (Closed)
- Monday, May 25: Memorial Day (Closed)
For today, January 16, you're in the clear. The tickers are moving, the data is flowing, and the exchanges are waiting for your orders. Just remember that the bell rings at 4:00 p.m. sharp, so don't leave your big moves for the very last second if you're worried about liquidity.
Check your open positions, keep an eye on the 10-year Treasury yield if you're into macro, and enjoy the full trading session. You have the green light.