The Stock Market Trading Hours Schedule
There are three main stock exchanges, or markets, globally. These are the NASDAQ stock market, the American stock exchange, and the New York stock exchange. The NASDAQ has the highest number of daily trades, followed by the New York stock exchange, and then the American stock exchange.
The NASDAQ stock market has three trading session, a pre-market session, a market session, and an after-market hours trading session. Quotes and order entries are from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m., and quotes are firm and open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. The Pre-market trading hours run from 7 a.m. until 9:30 a.m. Then market hours run from 9:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. After-market tradings hours kick in from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. The Nasdaq stock market is also closed for holidays on New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr's Birthday, President's Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.
The New York Stock Exchange only has one set of market hours, and this is from 9:30 a.m. until 4 p.m Eastern Standard Time. It is also only open Monday through Friday, no weekends. There are several holidays which shut down this stock market. These are New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr's Birthday, President's Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence and Labor Day, ad Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
The American Stock Exchange also has trading hours from 9:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, and it follows the same holiday schedule as the New York Stock Exchange. This is a typical holiday schedule in the United States because of federally mandated holidays.
No matter which stock exchange you plan on trading on, knowing the market hours and when the trading occurs is an enormous benefit. The markets all keep close to the same hours and holiday closing schedules, however the NASDAQ market has three specific trading sessions, while the New York Stock Exchange and the American Stock Exchange only have one trading session.
By being aware of the stock market trading hours, you can figure out which markets provide the best trading opportunities and when. By knowing ahead of time when the markets open and when the quotes are given and accepted, it will help to maximize the profit potential. The stock market may only be open for less than half of each day, but the impact that these markets have on economies all over the world are enormous.
Copyright ' 2007 Joel Teo. All rights reserved.