I just realized recently that many people don’t understand the opening hours of the US stock market—especially Taiwanese investors, where accounting for the time difference can be really easy to get mixed up. So I’m sharing the notes I organized for myself.

During daylight saving time, regular trading hours for the US stock market are from 9:30 PM to 4:00 PM the next day, Taiwan time. Pre-market trading can start as early as 4:00 AM, and after-hours trading continues until 8:00 PM. When winter time begins in November, the times shift back by one hour, changing to 10:30 PM to 5:00 AM the next day. Many people get this wrong around that time and end up sleeping during the day, thinking they can still trade.

The US stock market mainly runs on three exchanges: the New York Stock Exchange, NASDAQ, and the American Stock Exchange. Although they operate independently, their opening and closing times are actually synchronized. NASDAQ has more technology stocks—for example, companies like Apple and Microsoft are listed there.

Another important thing is US stock market holidays. In 2026, there are many holidays to watch out for, such as New Year’s Day in January, Washington’s Birthday in February, Memorial Day in May, Independence Day in July, Labor Day in September, Thanksgiving in November, and Christmas in December. On Thanksgiving Day, the market also closes three hours early, and the same is true on the day before Christmas. If you usually like to trade during these periods, you should pay extra attention to avoid finding out that the market is closed.

In fact, if you just remember this: during daylight saving time it starts at 9:30 PM Taiwan time, and during winter time it’s one hour later, then once you get used to it, you won’t mix it up anymore.