If you’re staring at a frozen ticker or wondering why your favorite growth stock isn’t moving, you've probably asked the big question: is the stock market closed today in usa? Today is Saturday, January 17, 2026. If you’re looking for a trade, I’ve got some bad news for your portfolio’s activity level. The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the Nasdaq are definitely closed.
Why? Because it’s Saturday.
Wall Street still clings to the traditional Monday-through-Friday work week, even in an era where you can buy a digital monkey NFT or trade Bitcoin at 3:00 AM on a Sunday. But there’s actually more to the story than just the weekend. We are currently sitting in the middle of a three-day holiday weekend because Martin Luther King Jr. Day is coming up this Monday, January 19.
Is the Stock Market Closed Today in USA and What About Monday?
Technically, the market is closed today because it's the weekend. However, the "closed" sign is going to stay up longer than usual.
Monday, January 19, 2026, marks the official observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Both the NYSE and Nasdaq will remain shuttered for the entire day. Trading won't resume until Tuesday morning at 9:30 AM Eastern Time.
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Honestly, it catches people off guard every year. You wake up on Monday, grab your coffee, check your brokerage app, and... nothing. The numbers are static. It feels like the world has stopped, but it’s just the scheduled holiday break.
Why the Bond Market is Different
If you’re a bond trader, you probably already know that your world plays by slightly different rules. While the stock market is a bit more rigid, the bond market—overseen by SIFMA (the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association)—often takes more "early outs."
For this specific weekend in January 2026, the bond market is following the stock market's lead. It’s closed today (Saturday), it’ll stay closed tomorrow, and it’s fully closed on Monday. No Treasury yields moving, no corporate debt shifting. Just silence.
The 2026 Stock Market Holiday Calendar You Need
Planning your trades requires knowing when the "house" is closed. In 2026, there are ten specific days when the stock market takes a full day off.
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- New Year’s Day: Thursday, January 1 (Closed)
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: Monday, January 19 (Closed)
- Washington’s Birthday (Presidents' Day): Monday, February 16 (Closed)
- Good Friday: Friday, April 3 (Closed)
- Memorial Day: Monday, May 25 (Closed)
- Juneteenth National Independence Day: Friday, June 19 (Closed)
- Independence Day (Observed): Friday, July 3 (Closed)
- Labor Day: Monday, September 7 (Closed)
- Thanksgiving Day: Thursday, November 26 (Closed)
- Christmas Day: Friday, December 25 (Closed)
You might notice that July 4th falls on a Saturday in 2026. When that happens, the market observes the holiday on the preceding Friday. That’s why July 3 is the day everything stops.
The Half-Days That Trip People Up
Then you’ve got the early closes. These are the "sneaky" days. On November 27 (the day after Thanksgiving) and December 24 (Christmas Eve), the market closes at 1:00 PM Eastern. If you’re trying to execute a trade at 2:00 PM on those days, you’re basically shouting into a void.
What Happens Behind the Scenes When Markets are Closed?
Just because you can't hit the "buy" button on your app doesn't mean the financial world is asleep. It's kinda the opposite.
Large institutional firms use these breaks for massive system updates. High-frequency trading (HFT) firms calibrate their algorithms. Regulators at the SEC and FINRA often use holiday lulls to finalize paperwork that would cause too much volatility during a live session.
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Also, overseas markets don’t always stop just because the US does. The London Stock Exchange or the Tokyo Nikkei might be humming along while we’re eating turkey or celebrating MLK’s legacy. This creates "gap" risk. If big news breaks in Europe on Monday while the US is closed, the price of US-listed stocks might "gap" up or down significantly when they finally reopen on Tuesday morning.
The Crypto Exception
If you absolutely must trade something today, there’s always crypto. Bitcoin, Ethereum, and the rest of the gang don't have a closing bell. They don't have weekends. They don't have Martin Luther King Jr. Day. While that sounds exciting, it’s also why crypto is notoriously volatile—there’s no "circuit breaker" to stop a panic at 2:00 AM on a Sunday.
How to Prepare for the Reopen
Since we know the answer to is the stock market closed today in usa is a firm "yes" for both today and Monday, what should you actually do?
- Check your limit orders. If you have "Good 'Til Canceled" (GTC) orders sitting out there, remember they might trigger the second the market opens on Tuesday. The "opening cross" can be a wild ride with high volatility.
- Review the earnings calendar. Companies usually don't report earnings on holidays, but a flood of them might be waiting for Tuesday or Wednesday.
- Analyze the weekend news. Since the market is closed for three days, three days' worth of global news is going to be priced in all at once on Tuesday morning. This is usually when we see the biggest "gap" moves.
Basically, use this time to step away from the screen. The markets will be there on Tuesday. If you’re a long-term investor, a three-day break is just a blip. If you’re a day trader, it’s a mandatory rest period for your brain.
Actionable Insight: Use the rest of today and Monday to update your watchlists. Instead of reacting to price movements, look at the 200-day moving averages of the stocks you like. Decide now what price you're willing to pay on Tuesday so you aren't making emotional decisions when the bell finally rings.