Just realized something kinda wild - the stock market actually closes on Good Friday even though it's not technically a federal holiday in the US. Like, how does that even work? Turns out it's mostly just tradition that stuck around since the late 1800s. The NYSE, Nasdaq, and basically every major exchange just decided to observe it, and now it's just what happens.

The practical reason makes sense though - when you've got way fewer traders actually working because people are taking the day for religious or personal reasons, you end up with lower liquidity and potentially messier trading. So rather than deal with that chaos, they just close the whole thing down. It's one of those situations where the stock market and bond markets both follow the same playbook, which basically makes Good Friday a de facto market holiday regardless of what the federal government says.

So yeah, if you work in finance or actively trade, you're getting that day off whether you religiously observe Good Friday or not. Kind of interesting how a religious observance ended up shaping modern market operations. Do you think the stock market should keep closing for these kinds of holidays, or would it make more sense to stay open?