To trade U.S. stocks, you must always check the closing times. Especially since there is almost a 14-hour difference with Korean time, and daylight saving time can be confusing. The New York Stock Exchange, NASDAQ, and American Stock Exchange all operate at the same times, with regular trading hours from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time in the U.S. It’s from 11:30 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Korean time. When daylight saving time is in effect from mid-March to November, the hours are moved forward by one hour, making it from 10:30 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.

If you're a morning trader, you should also pay attention to the pre-market hours. You can trade from 4:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time before regular trading. In Korean time, that’s from 6:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., but trading volume is low during this period, leading to higher volatility. There is also after-hours trading after the market closes. You can trade from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (which is 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. the next day in Korea), but keep in mind that liquidity is also low during this time.

You also need to check the market holidays for 2026. On January 1st (New Year’s Day), January 19th (Martin Luther King Jr. Day), February 16th (Presidents’ Day), April 3rd (Good Friday), May 25th (Memorial Day), June 19th (Juneteenth), July 4th (Independence Day), September 7th (Labor Day), November 26th (Thanksgiving), and December 25th (Christmas), the market is completely closed. Additionally, there are early close days on July 2nd, November 27th, and December 24th, when the market closes at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time. In Korean time, that’s at 2:00 a.m. the next day.

Unlike Korea, the U.S. market has no price limit restrictions. Even if prices plummet, trading does not halt, so it’s easy to miss the timing for stop-loss orders. Also, since trading occurs at night in Korea, real-time responses are difficult. Remember that settlement is done two business days later. Because other markets around the world are in different time zones, it’s essential to check each exchange’s exact opening and closing times before trading. Especially when daylight saving time begins, it can be confusing, so marking it on your calendar is a good idea.