Looking at the US stock trading calendar for 2026, I realize one pretty interesting thing – these holidays are not just opportunities for Wall Street to "sleep," but also important milestones for us to adjust our portfolios and avoid liquidity shocks. Especially with major variables like the upcoming midterm elections, knowing the holiday schedule becomes a "secret weapon" for professional traders.

There are a total of 10 fully closed days and 2 early closing days at 1:00 PM EST in 2026. Days like New Year (01/01), Presidents' Day (02/16), Good Friday (04/03), Memorial Day (05/25), Independence Day (07/03 since it falls on a Saturday), Labor Day (09/07), Thanksgiving (11/26), and Christmas (12/25) will cause NYSE and NASDAQ to be completely closed. Additionally, Black Friday (11/27) and Christmas Eve (12/24) are half-day trading days.

The tricky part is when you're in Vietnam, the time zone difference causes these holidays to have a different impact. For example, Independence Day this year falls on Friday, 07/03, creating a 4-day long weekend. That’s when liquidity dries up, volatility spikes, and if you hold leveraged positions overnight Thursday, you might face unpleasant surprises on Tuesday morning.

I see a clear pattern: the week before long holidays, trading volume on US stocks drops by 20-30%. Professional traders have already exited the market, leaving only those who are inattentive or carefully calculating. This is when small-cap stocks and low-liquidity assets are more easily "manipulated" in price. If you're a day trader, I recommend avoiding trading entirely on these days. If you're a swing trader, reduce your positions to 60-70% of normal.

The good thing is you can use these gaps to rebalance your portfolio. When the Vietnamese market closes for Tet (Jan 28 - Feb 2) but the US still trades, you can't adjust your positions immediately. So I usually take profit or set tight stop-loss orders before the Tet holiday. This protects you from major US economic news that you can't react to in time.

Speaking of 2026, there's a major event you can't ignore: the Midterm Elections on 11/03. The US stock market often experiences strong volatility around such political events. Data shows that Q3 during midterm election years performs the worst (-2.3% average), but Q4 afterward rallies strongly (+7.1%). So if you're holding positions in September-October, be prepared for volatility.

There's an interesting phenomenon called the "Santa Claus Rally" – a market uptrend during the last 5 trading days of the year and the first 2 days of the new year. The probability of occurrence is 78% with an average gain of 1.3%. In 2026, Christmas Eve (12/24) falls on Thursday, with early market close at 1:00 PM EST, and Christmas Day (12/25) is Friday. The week from 12/28-12/31 has extremely low liquidity, with only minimal trading desks operating. If you want to participate in this year-end rally, you should position yourself from mid-December, not wait until the last week.

A key point about US stocks during holidays is: never leave orders overnight without a stop-loss. I've seen investors leave orders from Wednesday, and on Tuesday morning (after Independence Day), gap down 3% due to Fed news. Futures still trade during limited hours, but liquidity is very low, and spreads are wide like windows.

One strategy I find quite useful is the pre-holiday approach. About 3-5 days before a major holiday, review your portfolio. Close all short-term trading positions (less than a week). Set tighter stop-losses, around 10-15%. If you have large positions you want to keep, consider buying protective puts. It costs some money but gives you peace of mind.

After the market reopens, don’t rush in immediately. If there's a gap larger than 1%, wait 30-60 minutes to see the trend clearly. Many gaps will fill during the day, but not always. Trading volume is usually low in the first 1-2 days, so avoid low-liquidity stocks.

Another point many overlook: Juneteenth (06/19) is a relatively new holiday (since 2021). Many traders are not used to it, so they might forget that the market will be closed. If you place an order on Thursday and forget that Friday is a holiday, it will only execute on Monday. Prices could have changed significantly by then.

Overall, the 2026 US stock trading calendar isn't very complicated if you prepare well. The key is: know in advance, plan ahead, and don’t let emotions drive your decisions. Market holidays are not a time to sleep, but a time to think carefully about your next strategy. If you do this well, you'll avoid many unnecessary shocks.