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In 2026, most major global stock markets will be open for approximately 250 trading days, with variations depending on local holidays and exchange rules. Understanding the difference between calendar days and trading days is essential for accurate performance measurement, risk management, and strategy planning. By tracking trading days across regions such as the U.S., Europe, and Asia-Pacific, investors can better align their decisions with real market activity.
When developing an effective stock trading strategy or calculating annual returns, have you ever wondered a simple question?
- "How many trading days will there be in 2026?"
For many investors, this number impacts profit calculations, position sizing, and daily risk management.
In this guide, we'll explain how many trading days there are in a stock year and why the number of trading days varies from year to year.
We'll also explore global market differences across major exchanges in the US, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and other markets.
Knowing how many trading days are in a year allows investors to plan more realistically, manage risk more effectively, and avoid misinterpreting market performance.
Most global financial markets operate for around 250 -252 trading days per year, excluding weekends and holidays.
The number of trading days directly influences liquidity, volatility, strategy execution, and settlement timing.
Markets such as the NYSE and NASDAQ offer pre-market and after-hours sessions, creating additional opportunities.
Let’s begin by looking at trading days using the U.S. market as an example.
In 2026, there are 251 trading days in the U.S. This figure is calculated by subtracting weekends and market holidays from the total 365 days in the year.
U.S. stock markets generally operate Monday through Friday and are closed on weekends, resulting in about 104 days of closure per year.
In addition, national holidays such as New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas further reduce the number of open days.
The exact number of trading days can vary slightly depending on how these holidays fall on the calendar.
The terms business day and trading day are often used interchangeably, but they are not the same.
A trading day refers specifically to a day when financial markets are open and active. In contrast, banks and other businesses may observe certain market holidays, so a business day does not always coincide with a trading day.
Trading days are the days when markets are open (weekdays excluding holidays), in total around 251 days per year in the U.S.
Calendar days, on the other hand, include all days of the year, 365 days (366 days in a leap year), including weekends and holidays.
Understanding this distinction is important for financial planning, performance measurement, and contract timelines, as trading activity only occurs on trading days.
In simple terms, there are about 50 to 51 trading weeks per year. Although a year has 52 weeks, market holidays reduce the total number of active trading days.
This number is slightly reduced in the U.S. due to the 9-10 market holidays per year.
With 251 trading days divided by 5 weekdays per week, excluding holidays, the result is roughly 50 trading weeks annually.
There are several reasons why the number of trading days affects investors' portfolios.
The number of trading days available directly impacts market liquidity, investment strategies, and regulatory compliance.
The more trading days there are, the more investors participate in the market and the greater the relative trading volume.
Higher trading volume means greater market liquidity, making it easier for investors to buy and sell assets at their desired prices.
On the other hand, liquidity tends to decrease on holidays and the days before and after, when trading volume is low.
If unexpected economic news occurs during these periods, large price fluctuations (gap-ups or gap-downs) can occur in the opening hours of the next business day, putting individual investors at risk of being forced to trade at unfavorable prices.
The number of trading days affects the timing of investor planning and strategy execution.
Years with more trading days provide more opportunities for day traders and short-term traders. Strategies that aim to profit from daily price fluctuations require the market to be open.
Even for long-term investors, understanding market opening days is important.
This is because dividend receipt dates, record dates, and corporate earnings announcement schedules are all aligned with exchange business days.
Accurately understanding these schedules is essential for portfolio management.
Market news flow continues during market holidays, making information gathering and risk management more difficult.
For example, important economic indicators or unexpected geopolitical news released over long weekends or holidays will be reflected all at once when the markets reopen.
Investors should monitor information while markets are closed and adjust their strategies for the next business day as needed.
To minimize this risk, market participants may adjust stop-loss orders, reduce position sizes, or avoid trading ahead of long holidays.
The world's financial markets do not trade every day of the year.
Trading days vary by country and market, and also depend on local holidays, weekends, and the rules of specific exchanges.
Here, we outline the days when trading will be halted on the world's major exchanges in the United States, London, and Hong Kong.
In the US, there will be exactly 251 trading days in 2026 on the NYSE and Nasdaq.
The US stock market observes the following full and half-day closures in 2026.
January 1 : New Year's Day
January 19: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
February 16: Washington's Birthday (Presidents' Day)
April 3: Good Friday
May 25: Memorial Day
June 19: Juneteenth National Independence Day
July 3: Independence Day (Observed)
September 7: Labor Day
November 26: Thanksgiving Day
December 25: Christmas Day
November 27: Day after Thanksgiving
December 24: Christmas Eve
The London market will be approximately 252 trading days long and closed for eight full days on the LSE in 2026. There will be half-day trading sessions on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.
January 1: New Year's Day
April 6: Easter Monday
May 4: Early May Bank Holiday
May 25: Spring Bank Holiday
August 3: Summer Bank Holiday
December 28: Boxing Day (Substitute Day)
The LSE will have early closures at 12:30 p.m. GMT on the following dates:
December 31: New Year's Eve
The HKEX will be approximately 249 trading days long, with 14 full market closures and 3 early-closure days for cash market trading sessions in 2026.
February 17: Lunar New Year’s Day
February 18: Second Day of Lunar New Year
February 19: Third Day of Lunar New Year
April 6: The Day following Ching Ming Festival
April 7: The Day following Easter Monday
May 1: Labour Day
May 25: The Day following Buddha's Birthday
June 19: Tuen Ng Festival (Dragon Boat Festival)
July 1: HKSAR Establishment Day
October 1: National Day
October 19: The Day following Chung Yeung Festival
On these three days, the morning trading session will operate, but the afternoon session is closed in HKT time zone:
February 16: Lunar New Year's Eve
A trading session refers to the official hours during which a stock exchange is open for the buying and selling of stocks and other financial instruments.
For example, on U.S. exchanges (NYSE or Nasdaq), trading typically runs from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM EST on weekdays.
The official trading session, also known as regular trading hours (RTH), lasts from the opening bell to the closing bell.
High liquidity: This is the time when the largest number of market participants (investors, institutions, and market makers) trade. This high trading volume leads to narrow bid-ask spreads and efficient price discovery and execution.
Non-trading days: Official sessions are not held on weekends (Saturdays and Sundays) or market holidays.
Extended trading hours refer to trading activity that occurs outside of standard trading hours.
These trades are primarily conducted through electronic communications networks (ECNs) rather than on physical exchange floors.
Many institutional investors use these sessions, which allow them to buy and sell after the market is closed, to react quickly to news such as earnings reports and economic data that is released outside of after-hours trading (RTH).
Pre-market trading: Advance orders placed before the market opens (typically between 4:00 AM and 9:30 AM EST).
After-hours trading: Trading that takes place after the market closes (typically between 4:00 PM and 8:00 PM EST).
However, extended trading has low liquidity and high volatility, so orders may be executed at unfavorable prices.
The number of trading days per year in global financial markets varies slightly by country and exchange, but is generally around 250.
Markets are generally closed on weekends, and public holidays are determined by each country's rules.
These trading days are an important factor when developing an efficient strategy in the financial markets.
If you want to improve your stock trading performance in 2026, be sure to check them out.
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There are exactly 251 trading days in 2026 for the NYSE and NASDAQ.
The London Stock Exchange (LSE) typically has around 252 to 253 trading days annually.
Most major stock markets operate five trading days per week, Monday to Friday, and excluding holidays.
Knowing the number of trading days is essential for annualizing returns, assessing market risk, conducting performance analysis, and planning trading activities.
No, the number of trading days varies across markets due to differences in national holidays, cultural observances, and local customs.
Holidays reduce the annual trading days and can lead to lower trading volumes and increased volatility during the holiday period, as fewer active participants are present.
Maki Miyai
SEO Content Writer
Maki Miyai has over five years of experience as an SEO web writer and provides easy-to-understand explanations of investment information that is of interest to both beginners and experienced investors, including cryptocurrencies, forex, and stocks.
This written/visual material is comprised of personal opinions and ideas and may not reflect those of the Company. The content should not be construed as containing any type of investment advice and/or a solicitation for any transactions. It does not imply an obligation to purchase investment services, nor does it guarantee or predict future performance. XS, its affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees do not guarantee the accuracy, validity, timeliness or completeness of any information or data made available and assume no liability for any loss arising from any investment based on the same. Our platform may not offer all the products or services mentioned.
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