Is Nasdaq Open Today: Why the Weekend Timing Matters More Than You Think

Is Nasdaq Open Today: Why the Weekend Timing Matters More Than You Think

You're probably staring at a ticker or checking your portfolio app right now, wondering why the numbers aren't moving. If you're asking is nasdaq open today, the answer is a simple no. Today is Saturday, January 17, 2026. Like every other Saturday of the year, the Nasdaq Stock Market is closed for its regular weekend break.

The market follows a very rigid schedule that mostly keeps doors shut from Friday evening until Monday morning. For most of us, this means the "Core Trading Session" is off-limits. If you've got a burning desire to trade a tech giant or a biotech startup, you're going to have to wait for the opening bell on Monday.

Honestly, the weekend pause is kinda necessary for the financial system to breathe. It’s when clearinghouses catch up and the news cycle has a chance to actually settle before the next wave of volatility.

The Standard Nasdaq Schedule You Need to Know

While the short answer is that the market is closed today, the "when" of it all gets a bit more complicated. Nasdaq doesn't just flip a switch at 9:30 a.m. and turn it off at 4:00 p.m. There are layers.

Usually, the week looks like this:

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  • Pre-Market Trading: 4:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. ET. This is where the early birds and institutional players start reacting to overnight news from Europe or Asia.
  • Regular Market Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. This is the "main event" where most retail volume happens.
  • After-Hours Trading: 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET. You've likely seen stocks jump or dive here right after an earnings report drops.

But since today is Saturday, none of these windows are open. Even the "extended hours" sessions take the weekend off. If you see price movements on your app right now, they are either stale data from Friday's close or very specialized "overnight" sessions offered by specific brokers like Robinhood or Interactive Brokers, which operate in their own private pools.

Why Today Isn't the Only Day Nasdaq Might Be Closed

If you were hoping to trade this coming Monday, you might want to double-check your calendar. We are currently in the middle of January.

In the United States, the third Monday of January is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. In 2026, that falls on Monday, January 19. Because of this federal holiday, the Nasdaq will remain closed on Monday as well.

That creates a three-day weekend. For traders, this is often a time of "sideways" anxiety where global news can pile up, leading to a massive "gap up" or "gap down" when the market finally opens on Tuesday morning.

The 2026 Nasdaq Holiday Calendar at a Glance

If you're planning your trades for the rest of the year, keep these specific dates in mind. The market doesn't follow the bank holiday schedule perfectly—it has its own traditions.

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  1. Washington’s Birthday (Presidents' Day): Monday, February 16.
  2. Good Friday: Friday, April 3. Note that the market is closed, even though it's not a federal holiday.
  3. Memorial Day: Monday, May 25.
  4. Juneteenth National Independence Day: Friday, June 19.
  5. Independence Day: Observed on Friday, July 3 (since the 4th is a Saturday).
  6. Labor Day: Monday, September 7.
  7. Thanksgiving Day: Thursday, November 26. (The market also closes early at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, November 27).
  8. Christmas Day: Friday, December 25. (Early close on Thursday, December 24).

It's sorta weird how the market handles these. For instance, the bond market often closes for Columbus Day (Indigenous Peoples' Day) and Veterans Day, but the Nasdaq usually stays wide open. You have to be careful not to assume that just because your mail isn't being delivered, the stock market is resting.

What Happens When the Nasdaq is Closed?

Just because you can't click "buy" doesn't mean the market is dead. Global finance is a 24-hour beast.

When the Nasdaq is closed on a Saturday like today, traders are usually looking at the "Futures" market. S&P 500 futures, Nasdaq-100 futures, and commodity prices like gold and oil often give us a hint of what’s coming. However, even these typically close on Friday evening and don't start moving again until Sunday night at 6:00 p.m. ET.

If you're a crypto trader, this whole concept of "closed" probably feels like a relic from the 1950s. Bitcoin and Ethereum don't have weekends. They don't have holidays. This creates an interesting dynamic where "crypto-linked" stocks—think Coinbase (COIN) or MicroStrategy (MSTR)—might see their prices "predetermined" by whatever the crypto market does over the weekend while the Nasdaq is dark.

Navigating the Monday Re-Entry

Since the Nasdaq is closed today and will be closed this coming Monday for MLK Day, you’re looking at a long wait.

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The smartest thing you can do right now isn't trying to find a way to trade, but rather preparing for Tuesday. Historically, long weekends lead to "volatility clusters." This is basically a fancy way of saying that everyone tries to cram three days' worth of opinions into the first five minutes of Tuesday's opening.

Actionable Next Steps for Today:

  • Check your limit orders. If you have "Good 'Til Canceled" (GTC) orders sitting out there, a lot can change over a long weekend. Make sure a news event hasn't made your "buy" price look like a mistake.
  • Watch the Sunday Night Futures. At 6:00 p.m. ET tomorrow, the futures markets will open. This is your first real look at how the big money is leaning.
  • Review earnings calendars. Use the downtime to see which companies are reporting next week. In late January, we are usually deep in the heart of earnings season.
  • Don't trust "Weekend Prices." Some platforms show "simulated" or "indicative" prices on Saturdays. They aren't real. Don't make life-altering financial decisions based on a number generated by a broker's internal algorithm while the actual exchange is powered down.

The market being closed is actually a gift for your mental health. Use the Saturday to step away from the screens. The Nasdaq isn't going anywhere, and the charts will be there waiting for you when the opening bell finally rings again.