Election Day – Tuesday, Nov. 3 – is sure to keep news-watchers plenty occupied. But everyone, and especially investors, should keep an eye on the stock market, which is indeed open for a full day of trading.
Given recent volatility leading up to the election, it could be a wild one.
"Overall, we believe it is highly likely for volatility to remain with us up to and past the election this coming Tuesday, as multiple macro triggers remain overhead," writes Dan Wantrobski, technical strategist and associate director of research at Janney Montgomery Scott.
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But perhaps, if there's a clean result, we'll be through the worst of the market roller coaster.
"We found that elections had their greatest impact on equity markets when Election Day was imminent – in the final two to four weeks," writes Chao Ma, global portfolio and investment strategist with the Wells Fargo Investment Institute.
And, of course, don't forget to vote. You can check out Ballotpedia to find your state's poll opening and closing times.
The following is a schedule of all stock market and bond market holidays for 2020.
2020 Market Holidays
| Date | Holiday | NYSE | Nasdaq | Bond Markets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, Jan. 1 | New Year's Day | Closed | Closed | Closed |
| Monday, Jan. 20 | Martin Luther King Jr. Day | Closed | Closed | Closed |
| Monday, Feb. 17 | Presidents' Day/Washington's Birthday | Closed | Closed | Closed |
| Thursday, April 9 | Maundy Thursday | Open | Open | Early close (2 p.m.) |
| Friday, April 10 | Good Friday | Closed | Closed | Closed |
| Friday, May 22 | Friday Before Memorial Day | Open | Open | Early close (2 p.m.) |
| Monday, May 25 | Memorial Day | Closed | Closed | Closed |
| Thursday, July 2 | Day Before Independence Day | Open | Open | Early close (2 p.m.) |
| Friday, July 3 | Independence Day (Observed) | Closed | Closed | Closed |
| Monday, Sept. 7 | Labor Day | Closed | Closed | Closed |
| Monday, Oct. 12 | Columbus Day | Open | Open | Closed |
| Wednesday, Nov. 11 | Veterans Day | Open | Open | Closed |
| Thursday, Nov. 26 | Thanksgiving Day | Closed | Closed | Closed |
| Friday, Nov. 27 | Day After Thanksgiving | Early close (1 p.m.) | Early close (1 p.m.) | Early close (2 p.m.) |
| Thursday, Dec. 24 | Christmas Eve | Early close (1 p.m.) | Early close (1 p.m.) | Early close (2 p.m.) |
| Friday, Dec. 25 | Christmas Day | Closed | Closed | Closed |
| Thursday, Dec. 31 | New Year's Eve | Open | Open | Early close (2 p.m.) |
| Friday, Jan. 1, 2021 | New Year's Day | Closed | Closed | Closed |
Stock Market Holiday Observations
When it comes to the stock and bond markets alike, if a holiday falls on a weekend, market closures are dictated by two rules:
- If the holiday falls on a Saturday, the market will close on the preceding Friday.
- If the holiday falls on a Sunday, the market will close on the subsequent Monday.
Stock and Bond Market Hours
The "core trading" stock market hours for the NYSE and Nasdaq are 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. However, both exchanges offer premarket trading hours between 4 and 9:30 a.m., as well as late trading hours between 4 and 8 p.m.
Bond markets typically trade between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
The stock markets close at 1 p.m. on early-closure days; bond markets close early at 2 p.m.
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