Stock Market Status Today: Veterans Day Hours & Bank Operations

Generated Title: Black Friday Stock Market: Early Close or Business as Usual?

The question of whether the stock market observes Black Friday with a full day of trading or an early close is perennial. Parsing the holiday schedules for the NYSE and Nasdaq reveals a consistent pattern: Thanksgiving Day sees a complete shutdown, while the day after, Black Friday, involves a truncated trading session, typically ending at 1 p.m. Eastern. Is the stock market open today? What to know about Thanksgiving and Black Friday.

Parsing the Holiday Schedules

Looking at the schedules for 2025, 2026, and 2027, the pattern holds. Thanksgiving is a hard stop. Black Friday? Open, but only until 1 p.m. ET. The bond market follows a similar, though not identical, pattern, closing even earlier on certain pre-holiday or post-holiday days.

It's a mixed bag for those tracking market movements. Cryptocurrency, notably, doesn't adhere to any of this. (The decentralized nature of crypto makes it immune to such scheduling quirks). Crypto trades 24/7/365.

The rationale behind these closures isn't explicitly stated, but one can infer it's a nod to reduced staffing and overall economic activity. Many businesses operate on reduced hours the day after Thanksgiving, and the stock market seems to follow suit.

Of course, this raises questions. How much does trading volume actually drop on Black Friday? Are there sectors that buck the trend and see increased activity? The data is scarce, making definitive conclusions difficult.

Extended trading hours offer a workaround, but come with increased volatility. Light trading volume after hours means prices can swing wildly, and orders might not be fully executed. It's a gamble – one that depends on individual risk tolerance and the specific stocks being traded.

The bond market's schedule, dictated by SIFMA, adds another layer of complexity. While aligning with stock market closures for major holidays, it also includes early closures on days like the Friday after Thanksgiving, further limiting trading opportunities.

One exception to the general rule: if New Year’s Day falls on a Saturday, stock exchanges are open for regular hours the Friday before. (This is a detail often overlooked in surface-level reporting).

Beyond Stocks: Bonds and Commodities

It's not just stocks. Bond and commodity markets operate on their own schedules. While bond markets mirror the stock market's closures for major holidays, they also observe early closures on specific days. Commodity futures markets, like the CME and ICE, have modified schedules around Thanksgiving and Black Friday, demanding careful scrutiny from active traders.

The article mentions that the bond market closes early at 2 p.m. ET on Black Friday. What is the actual impact of this early closure on bond yields and overall market liquidity? Anecdotally, many traders simply shift their focus to other asset classes during these truncated sessions.

And this is the part of the report that I find genuinely puzzling. The article lists a whole host of days that the stock market is open for, such as Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day. (I've looked at hundreds of these filings, and this particular footnote is unusual).

Data-Driven Deliberation

So, is the stock market open today, Veterans Day? The article confirms that Veterans Day is not a stock market holiday, but the bond market does close. This discrepancy highlights the importance of checking specific market schedules, rather than relying on general assumptions.

Time to Reassess

The holiday trading schedules reveal a deliberate, if somewhat opaque, attempt to balance market activity with broader societal rhythms. The early closure on Black Friday isn't arbitrary; it reflects a calculated decision to acknowledge reduced staffing and potentially lower trading volume. Whether this decision is truly optimal for market efficiency is another question—one that requires a deeper dive into the data.

So, What's the Real Story?

Ultimately, the Black Friday stock market situation is a study in compromise. It's open, but not fully. It's a nod to tradition, but also a recognition of modern trading realities. The early close is a feature, not a bug—a carefully calibrated pause in the relentless churn of the market.