If you just rolled out of bed this Saturday, January 17, 2026, and reached for your trading app, you’ve probably noticed something: the numbers aren’t moving. It’s a common moment of confusion for new investors or those of us who lose track of the calendar during a hectic week. Honestly, the short answer is that there is no closing time because the market doesn't open at all.
The U.S. stock market is closed today, Saturday, January 17.
Most people are used to the 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET grind, but the weekend is the one time the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Nasdaq take a breather. It’s a hard stop. No regular session. No closing bell. Just the quiet hum of servers waiting for Monday—or in this case, Tuesday.
What Time Is The Stock Market Closing Today and Why It’s Not Open
The stock market is never open on Saturdays or Sundays. This is a tradition as old as the exchanges themselves, designed to give traders and clearinghouses a chance to settle the week's paperwork. But there is an extra wrinkle this weekend. Monday, January 19, 2026, is Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Since MLK Day is a federal holiday, the NYSE and Nasdaq will remain closed through the start of the week. Basically, you are looking at a three-day weekend for Wall Street. If you were hoping to get a trade in before the weekend "closes," you actually missed that window at 4:00 p.m. ET yesterday, Friday.
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You’ve got to wait until Tuesday morning at 9:30 a.m. ET to see any action in the regular session.
The 2026 Holiday Schedule Reality
Wall Street follows a very specific calendar. It’s not just about the weekends. In 2026, there are ten specific days where the market just stays dark. Today’s closure is just the "normal" weekend break, but it’s part of a larger pattern that catches people off guard.
Take a look at how this year shakes out for closures:
- New Year’s Day: Thursday, Jan 1 (Closed)
- MLK Jr. Day: Monday, Jan 19 (Closed)
- Presidents' Day: Monday, Feb 16 (Closed)
- Good Friday: Friday, April 3 (Closed)
If you’re wondering about those weird "half days" where the market shuts down early, those usually happen around July 4th, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. On those days, "closing" means 1:00 p.m. ET. But today? Today is a total zero.
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Does Crypto or Futures Change the Closing Time?
This is where it gets kinda interesting. While the stock market is closed, other markets are doing their own thing. Crypto never sleeps. If you're trading Bitcoin or Ethereum, "closing time" doesn't exist. You can buy or sell at 3:00 a.m. on a Saturday if you really want to.
Futures are a different story. Most futures contracts on the CME Globex trade from Sunday evening through Friday afternoon. They take a break on Saturdays, too. So, if you're looking for a lead on where the S&P 500 might open on Tuesday, you won't even see the futures market start ticking again until Sunday night around 6:00 p.m. ET.
Why doesn't the stock market trade 24/7?
It’s a fair question. We live in a world where you can order a pizza or a new car at midnight. Why is the stock market still stuck in the 19th-century schedule?
Experts like those at the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) argue that concentrated liquidity is better for price discovery. If trading happened 24/7, the "volume" (the amount of shares being traded) would be spread so thin that prices would jump around wildly. Having a set "closing time" creates a frenzy of activity at the end of the day, which helps set a stable price for everyone’s 401(k)s and mutual funds.
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What You Should Do While the Market is Closed
Since you can't trade today, it's actually a great time to do the "boring" stuff that makes you a better investor.
- Review your fills from Friday. Did you get the price you wanted? Check your brokerage statement to see if any limit orders were triggered in the final minutes of trading.
- Research the upcoming earnings. The week after MLK Day is often the start of a busy earnings season. Check the calendar for companies like Netflix or the big banks to see who is reporting.
- Clean up your watchlist. Take off the stocks that haven't moved in six months. Add a few new ideas based on the trends from the first two weeks of January.
- Step away from the screen. Honestly, the best traders know when to turn it off. Take the extra day of the long weekend to clear your head.
The market will be right there waiting for you on Tuesday morning. When the bell rings at 9:30 a.m. ET on January 20th, the world will start moving again. Until then, the "closing time" is already behind us.
Actionable Insight: Use this Saturday to set your "GTC" (Good 'Til Canceled) limit orders for Tuesday morning. While they won't execute today, they will be first in line when the exchange servers wake up after the holiday. This is especially helpful if you're expecting volatility coming out of the long weekend.