Can You Trade Stocks on Weekends?

No, you cannot trade stocks on the US stock market during weekends. The NYSE and NASDAQ are closed all day Saturday and Sunday. No exceptions.

This has been the case for decades. US markets operate Monday through Friday, 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM Eastern Time, and are completely shut down on weekends.

Even though you can't trade, weekends are great for:

• Researching stocks you're interested in buying on Monday
• Placing orders that will execute when the market opens Monday morning
• Reviewing your portfolio and deciding if you want to make any changes
• Learning — reading about investing, watching tutorials, or exploring tools like BellHour

Most brokerages let you queue up buy or sell orders over the weekend. These orders will sit in a queue and execute when the market opens on Monday at 9:30 AM ET.

While stock markets are closed, there are other markets that keep going:

• Cryptocurrency markets: Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can trade Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other crypto anytime — including weekends.
• Some international markets: A few stock exchanges in the Middle East (like Saudi Arabia's Tadawul) trade on Sundays, though they're closed on Fridays.

If you really want to trade on weekends, crypto is your main option. But remember — stock markets and crypto markets are very different beasts.

Something to be aware of: stock prices can change between Friday's close and Monday's open. This is called a "weekend gap." News that breaks over the weekend — earnings reports, world events, economic developments — can cause stocks to open higher or lower on Monday than where they closed Friday.

This is normal and happens every week. It's one reason some traders prefer to be cautious about holding positions over the weekend.

Use BellHour's countdown timers to see exactly when the market reopens.