To trade U.S. stocks, you must know U.S. market closure days. In particular, since trading takes place at night in Korea time, missing a market holiday can completely derail your plans.

The main U.S. exchanges are NYSE, Nasdaq, and Amex. Their trading hours are all the same. Regular trading runs from 09:30 to 16:00 Eastern Time, and in Korean time it is usually from 23:30 to 06:00 the next day. It’s also important to note that when daylight saving time is in effect, the hours shift forward by 1 hour.

If you check the U.S. market closure days for 2026 in advance, it becomes much easier to make trading plans. The market will be closed on January 1 for New Year’s Day, January 19 for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, February 16 for President’s Day, April 3 for Good Friday, May 25 for Memorial Day, June 19 for Juneteenth, July 3 for Independence Day, September 7 for Labor Day, November 26 for Thanksgiving, and December 25 for Christmas. In addition, the market closes early at 13:00 Eastern Time on the day before Independence Day, the day after Thanksgiving, and Christmas Eve, so you should also check these dates.

Besides market closure days, there are other trading rules worth knowing. Unlike Korea, U.S. exchanges do not have price limit bands, so it may be difficult to respond quickly when prices drop sharply. Settlement is completed 2 business days later as well, so you should take this into account when planning your trades. The pre-market session runs from 04:00 to 09:30 Eastern Time, and the after-hours session runs from 16:00 to 20:00.

Because the U.S. market is open only at night in Korean time, learning about market closures and early close days in advance can help reduce unnecessary losses. It’s important to develop the habit of checking the latest holiday information before trading.