Markets are open today. I confirm the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq will run a full trading day on New Year’s Eve. If you need to place year end trades, you have the regular window. Tomorrow, New Year’s Day, all U.S. stock markets are closed.
Today’s official hours and what’s different
Here is the schedule for Wednesday, December 31, 2025. Regular session runs 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern. No early close. Pre market trading and after hours sessions are available on normal schedules, though activity is light.
NYSE and Nasdaq are open 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern today. Markets are closed on Thursday, January 1.
Expect a holiday feel on the floor. Many desks are thinly staffed. Volume typically fades after lunch as managers lock books and traders step back. That can pull liquidity from the tape and widen spreads, especially in small caps and thin ETFs. Keep order discipline. Use limits, not market orders, when in doubt. ⏰
Why this matters for execution and settlement
This is the last trading day of the year. For stocks and ETFs, the trade date controls tax timing. If you sell today, it counts for 2025. With T plus 1 settlement, today’s trades settle on Friday, January 2, the next business day. That could affect margin usage and cash availability, so plan your funding and withdrawals accordingly.
Market on close orders will run on the normal timeline. The NYSE imbalance feed hits at 3:50 p.m. Eastern. If you rely on the closing auction, make sure your broker’s cut offs are clear. Some brokers move internal deadlines earlier on holiday weeks.
Options pricing deserves attention. Time decay does not take a holiday. The extra calendar day still burns premium. If you are holding weekly options into the long weekend, reassess exposure. Wide spreads can also creep in late day, so price your orders.
Fixed income and futures follow their own holiday notices. Many bond desks observe shortened hours today. Some futures contracts trade modified sessions into the evening. If you are active in Treasuries, rates futures, or commodities, confirm exchange bulletins and your clearing deadlines before you click.
Liquidity can disappear fast around holiday closes. Spreads widen, dark pool fills get patchy, and after hours volatility can spike. Use limit orders, size down, and avoid chasing moves into the bell.
What to do now if you need year end moves
Window dressing and tax work drive a lot of today’s tape. You will see cross currents. Funds tidy exposures. Retail investors harvest losses or realize gains. The net effect is often choppy, low conviction action. That creates both noise and opportunity.
Focus on what you can control. Tighten your plan, then execute early enough to avoid the last minute rush. If you need to raise cash, pick the most liquid lines first. If you are rotating sectors, ETFs can be cleaner tools today than single names with thin books. For investors running covered calls or protective puts, check your deltas and rolls before midday.
A simple end of day checklist
1. Lock any tax loss harvest or gain realization by 3:00 p.m. Eastern.
2. Use limit orders, and confirm broker cut offs for MOC or LOC orders.
3. Verify T plus 1 settlement and available buying power for January 2.
4. Reprice or exit short dated options that face weekend decay.
5. Set alerts for pre market on Friday to manage gaps.
Market read and early 2026 setup
Do not read too much into today’s moves. Holiday sessions skew breadth and volume. What matters more is how the market opens on Friday when full participation returns. Watch leadership in megacaps, financials, and cyclicals. If yield moves pick up in the first week of January, that will set the tone for risk.
For long term investors, today is about housekeeping, not heroics. Rebalance to targets, clean up tax lots, and enter January with dry powder and a clear plan. For traders, keep your playbook tight and your size light. The best opportunities often come in the first full weeks of the new year.
The bottom line
I confirm U.S. stock markets are open for a full session today and closed tomorrow. Execute early, use limits, and respect thin holiday liquidity. Trades today count for 2025 taxes and settle on Friday. Finish strong, then get ready for the real test when full liquidity returns in January.
