The most confusing part of trading US stocks is probably the time zone. To trade the US stock market from Korea, you need to know the time difference accurately, and when you factor in daylight saving time, it gets really complicated. Also, if you miss the market closing time or don’t know which days are market holidays, your trading plan can fall apart. So today, I’ll summarize and share the US stock market’s opening and closing hours, this year’s market holidays, and the trading rules.

First, to briefly summarize the major US exchanges: there are three—NYSE (New York Stock Exchange), NASDAQ, and AMEX (American Stock Exchange). The NYSE is a historic exchange founded in 1792; it is currently the largest exchange in the world. About 2,400 companies are listed there, with a total market capitalization of 23 trillion dollars. Large traditional companies such as Berkshire Hathaway, Johnson & Johnson, and Visa are mainly listed there. NASDAQ was founded in 1971, and it’s an exchange with many IT companies listed, including Apple, Microsoft, and NVIDIA. AMEX is focused on mid-sized and small-cap companies.

Now let’s look at the actual trading hours. For all three exchanges, regular trading hours are 09:30 to 16:00 Eastern Time. In Korea time, that corresponds to 23:30 to 06:00 the next day (22:30 to 05:00 during daylight saving time), and this is the most important part. The pre-market runs from 04:00 to 09:30 ET (18:00 to 23:30 in Korea time, or 17:00 to 22:30 during daylight saving time). The after-hours session runs from 16:00 to 20:00 ET (06:00 to 10:00 in Korea time the next day, or 05:00 to 09:00 during daylight saving time). Since liquidity is highest when the market is open during regular trading hours, it’s best to build your trading plan around this time.

Looking at the trading rules, trades are conducted only in US dollars, and settlement is completed 2 business days later. The key point here is that, unlike Korea, the US stock market has no price limit. In other words, even if the market drops sharply, there’s no price cap on how far it can fall—so you may need to respond quickly during night trading hours in Korea. This is something you should definitely take into account when setting up your trading plan.

It’s also a good idea to check the US market holidays for 2026 in advance. The market is fully closed on 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), July 3 (Independence Day), September 7 (Labor Day), November 26 (Thanksgiving), and December 25 (Christmas). In addition, on July 2, November 27, and December 24, the market closes early at 1:00 PM Eastern Time. In Korea time, that means the next day at 2:00 AM (1:00 AM during daylight saving time).

For reference, knowing that other global stock markets also have different time schedules can be helpful. The Korea Exchange runs from 09:00 to 15:30, the Tokyo Stock Exchange from 09:00 to 15:00 (closed from 11:30 to 12:30), the London Stock Exchange from 08:00 to 16:30 (in Korea time 17:00 to 01:30, or 16:00 to 00:30 during daylight saving time), the Hong Kong Stock Exchange from 09:30 to 16:00 (closed from 12:00 to 13:00, or 10:30 to 17:00 in Korea time), and the Shanghai Stock Exchange from 09:30 to 15:00 (closed from 11:30 to 13:00, or 10:30 to 16:00 in Korea time).

In conclusion, to trade the US stock market efficiently, it’s essential to know the regular trading hours and closing times precisely and to check market holidays in advance. Daylight saving time matters too, so remember that the clocks change in March and November. Also, since exchange hours can change, it’s important to get into the habit of checking the latest information at all times.