Yes, the stock market is open on Columbus Day. Both the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq run regular trading sessions on the second Monday in October, even though the federal government treats the day as a public holiday.1New York Stock Exchange. Holidays and Trading Hours2Nasdaq. US Stock Market Holiday Schedule The catch is that the bond market, the Federal Reserve, and most banks are closed, and that split changes how and when your money actually moves.
Trading Hours on Columbus Day
Neither the NYSE nor Nasdaq lists Columbus Day as a market holiday. The core session runs its usual 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET, with no early close. Extended-hours trading also operates normally. On NYSE Arca, the early session opens at 4:00 a.m. ET and the late session runs until 8:00 p.m. ET.1New York Stock Exchange. Holidays and Trading Hours You can place orders through your broker the same way you would on any other Monday.
In 2026, Columbus Day falls on Monday, October 12, and both exchanges will trade on their standard schedule.
What’s Closed While Stocks Keep Trading
The bond market shuts down. The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association recommends a full close for trading in U.S. dollar-denominated fixed-income securities, including Treasury bonds, corporate bonds, mortgage-backed securities, and municipal debt, and the industry follows that recommendation almost universally.3SIFMA. Holiday Schedule The Bureau of the Fiscal Service is also closed, so no new Treasury debt is issued or settled.4Bureau of the Fiscal Service. 2026 OTCnet Federal Holiday Notices If you want to rebalance into or out of bonds, you have to wait until Tuesday.
The Federal Reserve System observes Columbus Day as an official holiday. All twelve regional Reserve Banks close, and the payment infrastructure they operate — Fedwire and FedACH — goes offline for the day.5Federal Reserve. K.8 – Holidays Observed by the Federal Reserve System 2026-2030 Most commercial banks and credit unions close their branches as a result. ATMs and mobile apps generally still handle balance checks and internal transfers.
Settlement and When Your Cash Moves
Most equity trades settle on a T+1 basis, meaning one business day after the trade date.6eCFR. 17 CFR 240.15c6-1 – Settlement Cycle A “business day” for settlement requires the banking system to be running, and Columbus Day does not qualify. So the exchange being open does not mean money moves that day.
Here is how the 2026 calendar plays out:
- Trades executed Friday, October 9 would normally settle Monday, but because no money settlement occurs on Columbus Day, they settle Tuesday, October 13.
- Trades executed Monday, October 12 also settle Tuesday, October 13, since that is the next day when both the exchanges and the banking system are open.
Two full days of equity trading settle at once on Tuesday.7Federal Register. Self-Regulatory Organizations; The Options Clearing Corporation You can buy and sell freely on Columbus Day, but cash from a sale will not reach your bank account until the banking system reopens, and money you push from your bank to your brokerage will not clear until Tuesday at the earliest.
ACH, Wires, and Direct Deposit
With Fedwire and FedACH offline, no interbank wire transfers or ACH payments process on Columbus Day. Anything you initiate over the weekend or on Monday morning sits in queue until processing resumes Monday evening.8Federal Reserve Financial Services. Holiday Schedules That includes bill payments and peer-to-peer transfers routed through ACH.
If your employer’s regular payday falls on Columbus Day, your direct deposit may arrive a day late. Banks must make direct-deposit funds available no later than the business day after the banking day the funds are received. When the banking system is closed Monday, the deposit cannot post until Tuesday.
Options and Margin
Open markets plus closed banks create specific risks if you trade options or use margin. Because Friday and Monday trades both settle Tuesday, the clearing system handles a double batch of settlement obligations at once, which can increase liquidity stress across the system.5Federal Reserve. K.8 – Holidays Observed by the Federal Reserve System 2026-2030
If your account becomes undermargined due to market moves on Columbus Day, you generally have until the close of Fedwire on Tuesday to meet the call, since wire transfers cannot process while the banking system is closed. Your broker may still issue the call on Monday; you simply get extra time to fund it.
Mutual Funds, Futures, and Commodities
Mutual fund companies accept purchase and redemption orders and calculate net asset values as usual on Columbus Day. Orders are processed and priced, but the actual movement of money between your bank and the fund waits for the next settlement day.9DTCC. 2026 Holiday Schedule
CME Group, which operates the CME, CBOT, NYMEX, and COMEX exchanges, stays open on Columbus Day 2026 with normal settlement times for all products.10CME Group. Columbus Day Holiday Settlement Times 2026 Equity index futures, interest rate products, energy contracts, and metals trade and settle on their regular schedules, so E-mini S&P 500 futures, crude oil, gold, and similar contracts keep running.
Cross-Border Trading
Columbus Day coincides with Canadian Thanksgiving, so the Toronto Stock Exchange is closed.11TMX TSX | TSXV. Calendar If you hold stocks cross-listed in both countries, you will find the U.S. side open and the Canadian side dark. European exchanges, including the London Stock Exchange, do not observe either holiday and operate normally. For other foreign markets, what matters is whether that country observes its own holiday on the date, not whether U.S. banks are closed.
Other Holidays With the Same Pattern
Columbus Day is not unique. Veterans Day, on November 11, follows the same split: stock exchanges hold regular sessions while the bond market, Federal Reserve, and most banks close.1New York Stock Exchange. Holidays and Trading Hours The same settlement delays and ACH disruptions apply. Full-closure holidays like Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Independence Day shut both stock and bond markets; the NYSE and Nasdaq observe nine of those per year, plus two early-close days (the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve).2Nasdaq. US Stock Market Holiday Schedule