Christmas will be celebrated this year on December 25, 2023. But how does Christmas affect the stock market?
Is the Stock Market Open on Christmas Day?
Christmas is a U.S. Stock Market Holiday, during which the U.S. Stock Market, including the Nasdaq and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), is closed. This means that when the market closes this year at 4 pm Eastern on Friday, December 22, it won’t open again until 9:30 am Eastern on Tuesday, December 26. This day off from trading gives Americans time to enjoy the winter holidays and spend time with family and friends.
Can You Still Trade Stocks on Christmas?
There are no active trading hours on Christmas or the following day on Monday, December 25, 2023.
Is Christmas a Federal Holiday?
Christmas is a U.S. federal holiday, meaning all non-essential federal government offices will be closed, including the federal bank and post offices. Christmas is also a Bank Holiday as recognized by the U.S. Federal Reserve, so commercial banks and other financial institutions will likely be closed or have very modified hours. The U.S. Bond Market will also be closed on December 25, 2023.
What is Christmas?
Taking place on December 25 every year, Christmas is a holiday that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, the primary religious leader and "Son of God" figure in the Christian religion. Billions of people around the world celebrate Christmas every year, mostly a religious celebration, but Christmas is also widely celebrated culturally by many non-Christians. It is an integral part of the winter holiday season, alongside Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and the New Year’s celebrations.
Christmas is traditionally celebrated by putting up and decorating a Christmas tree (typically fir or pine), preparing a special meal or large feast, gift-giving, attending Church services, and being with family and friends.
The holiday is also associated with the figure Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas or Saint Nicholas, and he is often pictured bringing gifts to children the night before Christmas. Because gift-giving is so inherent to the holiday, Christmas season is also associated with higher economic activity as sales for retail and consumer products grow drastically.
Fun Fact: Christmas
Many communities hold parades for Santa Claus throughout the United States as a way to welcome the Christmas holiday. This has been going on for years across the U.S., but the longest-running Santa Claus parade occurs in Peoria, Illinois. Starting in 1888, the Peoria Santa Claus parade has taken place every holiday season for the last 135 years.
It's the most wonderful time of the year!Andy Williams
What Holidays Do the Stock Markets Close?
The following U.S. stock market holiday will be Monday, New Year’s Day, which will take place next year on January 1, 2024. The U.S. Stock Market celebrates nine holidays and one early closing every year: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, President’s Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving (with an early close at 1 pm EST on the following day, also known as Black Friday), and Christmas Day.
To stay in the loop with modified trading hours and to see a complete list of what holidays the markets will be closed for, bookmark our 2023 Stock Market Holiday Calendar.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
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Leah Musheyev
Nasdaq
Leah works on content creation, project management, and digital strategy on the Digital Team at Nasdaq.
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