I recently organized a trading schedule for U.S. stocks in 2026 and found that many Taiwanese investors are actually unclear about the time difference issues. U.S. stock markets are currently in winter time, and the regular trading hours are from 10:30 PM to 5:00 AM Taiwan time the next day. If you are used to pre-market or after-hours trading, the time span is even longer.

The more complicated part is that the U.S. observes daylight saving time and standard time, which change every March and November. Taiwan does not follow these changes, so we have to remember the time difference adjustments ourselves. Simply put, during daylight saving time, Taiwan time is one hour later.

Another point to note is the U.S. stock market holidays. This year, there are several holidays when the market is closed, such as New Year’s Day in January, Martin Luther King Jr. Day in mid-January, Washington’s Birthday in February, Good Friday in April, Memorial Day in May, Independence Day in July (which is observed a day early because July 4 falls on a Saturday), Labor Day in September, Thanksgiving in November, and Christmas in December. A detail about Thanksgiving is that the market closes three hours early the next day, and the same applies the day before Christmas.

The U.S. stock market mainly has three exchanges: the New York Stock Exchange, which is the largest; NASDAQ, an electronic exchange with mostly tech stocks; and the American Securities Exchange. If you want to trade U.S. stocks, you must remember these market holidays to avoid trying to trade when the market is closed. Also, be sure to account for pre-market and after-hours trading times, or you might miss opportunities.