Is the stock market open on New Year's Eve?

December 31 is an ordinary session: 9:30am to 4pm ET, no early close. It catches people out because Christmas Eve is a half day, but the exchanges treat New Year's Eve as a normal trading day — it's the last full session of the year.

There's a rule worth knowing here. The exchanges close the preceding Friday when a holiday falls on a Saturday, but not when that Friday is the last business day of the month — so a Saturday New Year's Day leaves December 31 open and trading. The bond market is the one that goes short, on SIFMA's recommended 2pm ET close.

What else on New Year's Eve?

New Year's Eve across the board

Who	Status
Banks	Open Yes — banks are open on New Year's Eve.
Mail & the Post Office	Open Yes — mail is delivered on New Year's Eve and post offices are open.
UPS	Varies It depends on the service — Air deliveries run on New Year's Eve, but Ground doesn't move in either direction.
FedEx	Varies Yes — FedEx delivers on New Year's Eve, with Ground pickups modified.
Federal Offices	Varies It depends — December 31 is normally a regular workday for federal offices, but in some years it's the observed holiday.
Schools	Closed No — December 31 falls inside winter break in nearly every district.

Questions people ask

Does the stock market close early on New Year's Eve?

No — it's a full session to 4pm ET. Only the bond market shortens, closing at 2pm ET on SIFMA's recommendation.

If New Year's Day falls on a Saturday, is the market closed Friday December 31?

No. The exchanges skip the Friday-before shift when that Friday is the last business day of the month, and December 31 always is — so it's a normal trading day.

Checked against the NYSE holiday calendar, verified August 2026. When a schedule for a new year has not been published yet, this page says so — it never guesses.