Recently, while looking into materials on U.S. stock market trading hours, I realized that Taiwanese investors really need to pay special attention to the time difference. Right now, during daylight saving time, the regular U.S. stock trading hours are from 9:30 PM to 4:00 AM the next day in Taiwan time. Pre-market and after-hours trading are even earlier and later, so if you want to participate in U.S. stock trading, you need to coordinate with this schedule.

However, the most troublesome part is that U.S. stocks switch to standard time on the first Sunday of November. At that point, the U.S. stock trading hours in Taiwan move back by one hour, becoming 10:30 PM to 5:00 AM the next day. Asia does not adjust, so every year you have to recheck the times, which is a bit annoying.

Another key point is the U.S. stock market holiday schedule. In 2026, on days such as New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Washington’s Birthday, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, the U.S. stock markets will be closed. Some holidays even have early closures—such as the day before Christmas and the day after Thanksgiving—when trading closes three hours early. So you should definitely check the trading calendar before you trade.

U.S. stocks mainly trade on three venues: the New York Stock Exchange, NASDAQ, and the American Stock Exchange. Each exchange operates independently, and prices can sometimes differ slightly. If you’re investing seriously in U.S. stocks, you really need to get these trading hours and holiday dates straight, or you might end up stepping into a trap.

By the way, besides paying attention to U.S. stock trading hours, you can also refer to the trading times of stock markets in other countries. For example, the Tokyo Stock Exchange in Japan, the London Stock Exchange in the UK, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the Australian Securities Exchange, and others all have their own opening and closing times, and the corresponding times in Taiwan are not the same either. If you’re interested, you can follow them as well.