Wall Street 2025: Complete Guide to Operating Hours on NYSE, Nasdaq, and NYSE American

Timing is Everything on Wall Street

If you trade or invest in the U.S. markets, you need to master the exact schedules. It’s not the same to enter the stock market at 9:30 am as to take advantage of pre-market opportunities from 4:00 am. Every minute counts, and each market has its own rules.

NYSE: The Crown Jewel of Wall Street Hours

The New York Stock Exchange, simply known as NYSE or Wall Street for its iconic location, opens its regular trading hours at 9:30 am and closes at 4:00 pm (Eastern Time). But this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Extended sessions you need to know:

• Pre-market: 4:00 am - 9:30 am (early opportunities, lower liquidity)
• Regular session: 9:30 am - 4:00 pm (maximum trading volume)
• After-market: 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm (post-close movements)

These hours apply from Monday to Friday. NYSE remains closed on weekends and on 10 major holidays during 2025, including New Year (January 1), Martin Luther King Jr. (January 20), Good Friday (April 18), and Christmas (December 25).

The significance of Wall Street lies in its concentration of the world’s largest companies. Corporations fiercely compete to be listed here, seeking exposure to world-class institutional investors.

Nasdaq: The Tech Alternative with the Same Hours as Wall Street

Nasdaq (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation) maintains identical trading hours to NYSE:

• Regular opening: 9:30 am
• Regular closing: 4:00 pm
• Pre-market: 4:00 am - 9:30 am
• After-market: 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm

The key difference isn’t in the hours but in the types of companies. Nasdaq is the refuge for tech giants and biotech firms — although it also lists hotel companies like Marriott and airlines like American Airlines. Its flagship index, the Nasdaq 100, groups the 100 largest corporations in the market.

An important detail: while NYSE includes financial stocks, Nasdaq does not. This marks a fundamental structural difference between the two exchanges.

NYSE American (AMEX): The Market of Small Caps

NYSE American hosts small caps, those small-cap companies that represent the future Amazon or Netflix. Its schedule differs slightly in the pre-market session:

• Pre-market: 7:00 am - 9:30 am (starts one hour later than NYSE and Nasdaq)
• Regular opening: 9:30 am
• Regular closing: 4:00 pm
• After-market: 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm

These companies offer high potential for appreciation but come with the trade-off of lower liquidity and high volatility.

Time Conversion: Wall Street in Your Time Zone

Understanding Wall Street hours in your local time zone is crucial. Here’s how the regular opening and closing (9:30 am - 4:00 pm ET) translate to Spanish-speaking capitals:

2025 Market Holiday Calendar in the U.S.

Both markets (NYSE, Nasdaq, and NYSE American) close on the same 10 holidays during 2025, with one exception: Nasdaq does not observe Juneteenth National Independence Day (June 19), a relatively new holiday established in 2021.

Closing dates:

• January 1: New Year’s Day
• January 20: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• February 17: Washington’s Birthday
• April 18: Good Friday
• May 26: Memorial Day
• July 4: Independence Day
• September 1: Labor Day
• November 27: Thanksgiving Day
• December 25: Christmas

Why Do Extended Hours Matter?

Pre-market and after-market sessions on Wall Street are not mere appendages. Significant movements occur during these sessions — although with lower volume — especially after earnings reports or corporate news. Sophisticated traders leverage these windows to position themselves before the regular session or to exit after the official close.

Mastering these hours and converting them to your local time zone is the first step to trading intelligently in the U.S. markets.