Is the Stock Market Open on Black Friday? Here are the Trading Hours

TLDR

• Stock markets open on Black Friday but close early at 1 p.m. EST (NYSE and Nasdaq open at 9:30 a.m.)
• Bond markets close at 2 p.m. EST after opening at 8 a.m.
• Adobe Analytics projects $253.4 billion in U.S. online holiday sales, up 5.3% from 2024
• S&P 500 historically rises during the week surrounding Black Friday
• Banks, USPS, and UPS operate normal hours on Black Friday

The stock market will be open on Black Friday but with reduced trading hours. The New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq Stock Market will open at their normal time of 9:30 a.m. Eastern on Friday. However, both exchanges will close early at 1 p.m.

Over-the-counter markets will follow the same shortened schedule. Bond markets will open at 8 a.m. Eastern and close at 2 p.m.

Black Friday falls on the day after Thanksgiving each year. The shopping day has become one of the busiest retail days in the United States.

This year’s holiday shopping season is expected to be strong. Adobe Analytics forecasts U.S. online sales to reach $253.4 billion between November 1 and the end of December. This represents a 5.3% increase from the same period in 2024.

The National Retail Federation projects retail sales in November and December to grow between 3.7% and 4.2% compared to last year. The trade association tracks consumer spending patterns across the retail sector.

International Market Status

Foreign stock exchanges will maintain normal operations on Friday. The Shanghai Stock Exchange, Stock Exchange of Hong Kong, Tokyo Stock Exchange, and London Stock Exchange will all be open for regular trading.

Banks in the United States will be open on Black Friday. The U.S. Postal Service and UPS will also operate on Friday.

Most FedEx services will be available. The exception is FedEx Freight, which handles items too large for standard parcel services.

Historical Market Performance

The S&P 500 has typically gained value during the Black Friday period. This period runs from the Wednesday before Thanksgiving through one week after Black Friday.

Last year, the benchmark index rose 1.5% during this timeframe according to Dow Jones Market Data. In 2023, the S&P 500 increased 0.8% during the same window.

The index gained 1.1% in 2022. In 2021, the pandemic caused the S&P 500 to fall 3.5% during this period.

Black Friday originated in the United States and has since spread to other countries. The term reportedly comes from the mid-twentieth century in Philadelphia. Tourists would flood the city before the annual Army-Navy college football game.

Police officers in Philadelphia coined the term to describe the crowds. The phrase entered common usage in the early 1960s.

The term “Black Friday” was also used to describe the U.S. gold market crash in September 1869. However, this was likely not connected to the modern shopping holiday.

Online Shopping Trends

Black Friday has spawned other shopping events. Cyber Monday occurs on the Monday after Thanksgiving when online retailers offer discounts.

Black Friday sales are expected to increase 8.3% from 2024 to $11.7 billion this year according to Adobe Analytics. Despite this growth, Cyber Monday should remain the biggest online shopping day of the season.

Adobe Analytics projects Cyber Monday will generate $14.2 billion in sales this year. This makes it the largest single day for online retail during the holiday season.

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