Donald Trump signed an executive order allowing most federal employees to take time off on Christmas Eve and December 26. “All executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government shall be closed and their employees excused from duty on Wednesday, December 24, 2025, and Friday, December 26, 2025, the day before and the day following Christmas Day, respectively,” the order stated.
As for the markets, the NYSE and NASDAQ will close at 1 PM ET on Christmas Eve, which is the usual cadence when the holiday falls on a weekday. December 25 and January 1 are full stock market holidays, and if they fall on a weekend, the following day is considered a market holiday.
The US markets partially close for Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. This ensures that the US can align with other international financial centers that remain open or operate on restricted hours. It also balances traders’ desire to wind down for the holidays while maintaining liquidity and price discovery for year-end trades.
The president cannot directly order the NYSE or NASDAQ to close unless there is a national emergency, as we saw during 9/11. The exchanges set their own market holidays.
NYSE full-day market holidays in 2026:
Thursday, January 1, 2026 – New Year’s Day (observed)
Monday, January 19, 2026 – Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Monday, February 16, 2026 – Presidents’ Day (Washington’s Birthday)
Friday, April 3, 2026 – Good Friday
Monday, May 25, 2026 – Memorial Day
Friday, June 19, 2026 – Juneteenth National Independence Day
Friday, July 3, 2026 – Independence Day (observed, since July 4 is Saturday)
Monday, September 7, 2026 – Labor Day
Thursday, November 26, 2026 – Thanksgiving Day
Friday, December 25, 2026 – Christmas Day
NYSE early closings in 2026
Friday, November 27, 2026 – Day after Thanksgiving (Black Friday): early close at 1:00 p.m. Eastern (1:15 p.m. for eligible options)
Thursday, December 24, 2026 – Christmas Eve: early close at 1:00 p.m. Eastern (1:15 p.m. for eligible options)
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