Wait. Before you check your brokerage app, there’s something you should know. Today is Sunday, January 18, 2026. If you’re looking for a ringing bell at 11 Wall Street, you’re not going to find it.
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is closed today. That's the short answer. But the longer answer—the one that actually matters for your portfolio—is a bit more nuanced because we are staring down a long holiday weekend.
Why stock market hours today nyse are basically non-existent
Honestly, it's pretty simple. It’s Sunday. Historically, the big exchanges like the NYSE and Nasdaq have always kept their doors locked on the weekends. But there is a massive "but" coming up tomorrow.
Tomorrow, Monday, January 19, 2026, is Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Because of that federal holiday, the NYSE won't just be closed today; it’ll be dark tomorrow too. We are currently in the middle of a three-day market hiatus. No regular trading. No floor activity. Just a lot of flickering screens and "order queued" messages for the over-eager.
The regular grind (when it actually happens)
When the world isn't on a holiday break, the NYSE follows a very specific rhythm. Most people only care about the 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET window. That’s the "Core Trading Session." It’s when the high-volume institutional money is moving and the spreads are the tightest.
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But the pros? They're active way before that.
- Pre-Opening Session: Starts at 6:30 a.m. ET. You can queue orders, but nothing is actually "matching" yet.
- Early Trading Session: This kicks off at 7:00 a.m. ET.
- Late Trading Session: Once the 4 p.m. bell rings, the "After-Hours" crowd takes over until 8:00 p.m. ET.
The 24-hour market myth and reality
You might have heard that the stock market never sleeps anymore. Kinda true, kinda not.
While the physical NYSE building has set hours, the electronic world is pushing boundaries. By now, in early 2026, we’ve seen a massive shift toward 22-hour trading for certain ETFs and equities. Firms like Blue Ocean and platforms like Robinhood or Interactive Brokers have been aggressive about letting retail traders swap shares at 2:00 a.m. if they really want to.
But here is the catch: Liquidity is a ghost town. If you try to trade a low-volume stock at midnight on a Sunday, you’re going to get hosed on the "spread"—the difference between the buy and sell price. You might see a stock "priced" at $100, but the only person willing to sell it to you at 3 a.m. wants $105.
That’s why most experts tell you to stick to the core stock market hours today nyse (well, the Tuesday ones in this case).
What about the "Other" markets?
If you’re absolutely itching to see numbers move today, you have to look outside of traditional stocks.
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- Crypto: This is the only one that truly doesn't care about MLK Day or Sundays. Bitcoin and Ethereum are trading right now as you read this.
- Futures: Most U.S. stock futures (like the S&P 500 E-minis) actually open up on Sunday evenings around 6:00 p.m. ET. They provide the "tell" for how the market will react to news over the weekend.
- Foreign Exchanges: While New York is asleep, Tokyo and London are gearing up. If there’s a global crisis, you’ll see it there first.
Surviving the long weekend: Actionable steps
Since you can't hit the "buy" button on the NYSE today, use this downtime strategically. Don't just stare at a static chart.
Review your Limit Orders. If you have "Good 'Til Canceled" (GTC) orders sitting out there, check them. A lot can happen over a three-day weekend. If some major geopolitical news broke on Saturday, your $150 buy limit might be a gift to the person selling to you on Tuesday morning.
Watch the Futures on Sunday night. Around 6:00 p.m. ET today, the futures markets will "wake up." This is your early warning system. If futures are down 1%, expect a rocky start when the NYSE finally reopens on Tuesday.
Check the Bond Market. Usually, the bond market (SIFMA) follows the NYSE lead, but they sometimes have early closes (2:00 p.m. ET) on the Friday before a holiday. They’ll be closed Monday as well.
The NYSE will officially reopen for regular business on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. ET. Use the remaining 36 hours of this break to breathe. The volatility will still be there when the bell rings.
Next Steps for Investors:
- Audit your portfolio for any earnings reports coming up later this week; several big banks usually report around this time in January.
- Verify your brokerage's extended hours policy—some have updated their 24/5 trading lists for 2026.
- Set price alerts for Tuesday morning to avoid being caught off guard by "gap" openings where the price jumps significantly higher or lower than Friday's close.