If you trade US stocks, there’s probably a question you’ve thought about at least once. If you don’t know exactly when the US stock market opens and closes—and when US market holidays are—you’ll keep ending up with trading plans that don’t match reality.

This gets especially complicated due to the time difference between Korea and the US, and when daylight saving time overlaps, it can be really confusing. But once you get it organized, it’s simpler than you think—so let’s go through it together.

There are three major US stock exchanges. The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is the largest exchange in the world, established in 1792. NASDAQ is an exchange where many IT companies are listed. And there’s also the American Stock Exchange (AMEX). All three exchanges basically operate at the same times.

Regular trading hours are 09:30 to 16:00 Eastern Time. In Korea, that’s 23:30 to 06:00 the next day. And when daylight saving time is in effect—from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November—it shifts one hour earlier, making it 22:30 to 05:00. In other words, you’re trading at night.

There are also pre-market hours (trading before the market opens), which run from 04:00 to 09:30 Eastern Time. After the market closes, you can trade during after-hours time, from 16:00 to 20:00.

The key point is that the US stock market has no price limit. That means there’s no mechanism like the one in Korea that restricts sudden spikes and drops—so keep in mind that volatility can be high.

Now let’s talk about US market holidays. As of 2026, US market holidays are January 1 (New Year’s Day), January 19 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day), February 16 (Presidents’ Day), April 3 (Good Friday), May 25 (Memorial Day), June 19 (Juneteenth Day), July 3 (Independence Day), September 7 (Labor Day), November 26 (Thanksgiving Day), and December 25 (Christmas).

In addition, there are also days when the market closes early. On the day before Independence Day, the day after Thanksgiving, and on Christmas Eve, the market closes at 1:00 PM Eastern Time. In Korea, that’s 2:00 AM the next day, so be sure to factor that in as well.

If you trade stock markets in other countries besides the US, it’s also a good idea to know each exchange’s trading hours. The Korea Exchange operates from 09:00 to 15:30. The Tokyo Stock Exchange runs from 09:00 to 15:00, with a trading halt from 11:30 to 12:30 in between. The London Stock Exchange operates from 08:00 to 16:30 and observes daylight saving time. Hong Kong and Shanghai also have their own midday trading breaks, so checking those can help when you trade.

In conclusion, accurately understanding US market holidays and trading hours is the first step to efficient trading. Since market information can change, it’s important to always check the latest updates and plan your trades accordingly.