If you’re checking your portfolio on Thursday, December 25, 2025, here’s the clear answer: the U.S. stock market is closed for Christmas Day. That means no trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) or Nasdaq during the regular session, because Christmas Day is a full-market holiday on the official U.S. equity calendar.
Just as importantly for investors planning end-of-year moves: Wednesday, December 24, 2025 (Christmas Eve) was a shortened trading day, and the market reopens on Friday, December 26, 2025 for a normal session.
So, is the U.S. stock market open on 25.12.2025?
No. The U.S. stock market is not open on December 25, 2025.
Both major U.S. listing venues—NYSE and Nasdaq—are closed for Christmas Day under the published holiday schedules used across the U.S. equities industry. Nasdaq’s official holiday schedule lists “Christmas Day — December 25 — Closed” for 2025. Nasdaq
FINRA’s operating and holiday schedule also marks Thursday, December 25, 2025 as Christmas Day (a market holiday), following a 1:00 p.m. early close on Wednesday, December 24, 2025.
What were the U.S. stock market hours on Christmas Eve 2025?
On Wednesday, December 24, 2025, U.S. stock trading followed the standard holiday-shortened format:
- U.S. equities (NYSE & Nasdaq): early close at 1:00 p.m. ET
- Eligible options: typically stop shortly after (NYSE notes 1:15 p.m. for eligible options on early-close days)
- U.S. bond market: SIFMA recommends an early close at 2:00 p.m. ET on Dec. 24
On a normal day, NYSE’s core trading session runs 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET, but Christmas Eve is one of the calendar’s well-known shortened sessions.
The key news from 24.12.2025: Wall Street hit records in a holiday-shortened session
While December 25 is a full stop for U.S. equities, December 24, 2025 delivered plenty of market-moving headlines—even with fewer trading hours and lighter participation.
Record closes for the Dow and S&P 500 as the “Santa rally” window began
Reuters reported that U.S. stocks finished higher on Wednesday, Dec. 24, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 posting record closing highs in a broad rally during a holiday-shortened session. Reuters also noted that U.S. markets would remain shut on Thursday for Christmas and highlighted the start of the seasonal “Santa Claus rally” period. Reuters
By the closing bell (which arrived early), Reuters listed the major indexes at: Dow 48,731.16 (+0.60%), S&P 500 6,932.05 (+0.32%), and Nasdaq 23,613.31 (+0.22%).
Extremely light trading volume signaled a typical holiday week
The Associated Press similarly described very light trading as markets wrapped up early on Christmas Eve and prepared to close entirely on Christmas Day. AP said roughly 1.8 billion shares traded on the NYSE—about one-third of the average day’s volume—and emphasized that markets would reopen for a full session on Friday.
Reuters also described thin participation, reporting 7.61 billion shares traded across U.S. exchanges versus an average 16.21 billion for the last 20 full sessions, underscoring how dramatically liquidity can drop around holiday schedules.
Corporate headlines still mattered—even on a shortened day
Despite the quieter tape, there were notable single-stock and deal stories in the day’s news flow. AP highlighted Dynavax’s surge after Sanofi said it would acquire the vaccines company in a deal valued around $2.2 billion.
Reuters also pointed to strength in certain AI-related names after a prior selloff, and referenced investor focus on the path of interest rates and economic resilience—common themes that still shaped sentiment on a day when many desks were lightly staffed.
Why the U.S. market closes on Christmas Day (and why it matters for investors)
Christmas Day is one of the most straightforward closures on the U.S. equities calendar: a full-day holiday. Nasdaq’s published schedule marks Dec. 25, 2025 as “Closed,” and FINRA’s holiday list aligns with that closure. Nasdaq+1
For investors, the closure matters for three practical reasons:
- No executions on listed U.S. equities (stocks/ETFs) while exchanges are closed
- News still happens—earnings pre-announcements, mergers, geopolitical events—so price gaps can appear when markets reopen
- Holiday liquidity effects spill into adjacent sessions, especially the early-close day before and the first session after the holiday
Will the stock market be open on Friday, December 26, 2025?
Yes. U.S. stock markets reopen on Friday, December 26, 2025, and multiple reports from the Christmas Eve session noted the market returning for a full day of trading on Friday.
However, many investors should still expect lighter-than-normal volumes late in the week, a pattern AP specifically warned could continue because many market participants have already “closed out their positions for the year.” AP News
A big point of confusion in 2025: the federal government closure did not change Wall Street’s schedule
One reason the “is the market open?” question surged this week: the White House issued an executive order directing that executive departments and agencies of the federal government be closed on Wednesday, December 24, 2025 and Friday, December 26, 2025. The White House
That federal shutdown does not automatically change exchange trading calendars, which are set by market operators and industry schedules. Several market-hours explainers published around Christmas emphasized that financial markets still followed the planned Christmas Eve early close and Christmas Day closure.
Bottom line: Government offices may be closed on Dec. 26, but the U.S. stock market is scheduled to trade.
What to do if you want to trade on Christmas Day 2025
Because NYSE and Nasdaq are closed on December 25, any “trading” you do in your brokerage app is typically limited to preparation:
- Place orders to queue for the next session (your broker may accept orders, but they won’t execute on-exchange until the market reopens)
- Review watchlists and alerts
- Check global markets, where holiday closures vary by country (some international exchanges also close on Dec. 25)
If you’re trading products tied to U.S. markets (like certain futures), they can follow separate holiday rules and schedules. CME Group, for example, publishes specific holiday schedules for the Christmas period and notes that holiday hours can be updated close to the date.
The takeaway for 25.12.2025
- Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025: U.S. stock market closed (NYSE & Nasdaq).
- Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025: early close at 1:00 p.m. ET for equities; bonds typically follow an early-close recommendation.
- Friday, Dec. 26, 2025: market reopens for a normal session, even amid federal office closures.
And in the most notable headline from the final trading session before Christmas: Wall Street capped Christmas Eve with record closes in a shortened session, setting an upbeat tone heading into the holiday break.
