October 2026 Stock Market Holiday Calendar: Are NYSE and Nasdaq Open on Columbus Day?

Yes. The New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq are scheduled to open on Columbus Day, Monday, October 12, 2026. Their regular U.S. equity session is 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Columbus Day is a federal holiday, but it is not on the NYSE or Nasdaq 2026 stock-market closure calendars. October 12 is also a recommended full-close day for many U.S. fixed-income markets, so a stock exchange being open does not mean every financial service will run normally.

Hypothetical example: Maya has an automatic purchase of a listed stock ETF scheduled for Monday, October 12. She sees “Columbus Day” on her employer’s calendar and assumes markets are closed. The right check is the exchange’s equity holiday calendar: the stock exchange is open for its regular session. She should still check her brokerage’s order cutoff, account funding, and ETF order handling, because those depend on the broker and the product. This example is illustrative only; it is not a report of an actual investor’s experience.

October 2026 at a glance

That is 22 regular weekday sessions in October, assuming no unscheduled exchange closure. The month has no scheduled NYSE or Nasdaq full-day equity holiday and no scheduled early close. The scheduled dates can change in exceptional circumstances, so recheck exchange notices if a major disruption occurs.

Why can the stock market be open when federal offices are closed?

Federal holidays and stock-exchange holidays are related calendars, not identical ones. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management lists Columbus Day on Monday, October 12, 2026. The NYSE’s published 2026 holiday list includes dates such as Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, but not Columbus Day. Nasdaq’s 2026 U.S. stock-market schedule likewise lists its full-day equity closures and early closes; October 12 is not among them. So the federal holiday does not, by itself, close listed stocks on these exchanges.

For Maya, the distinction means a normal equity order can generally be submitted for the regular session on October 12, subject to her broker’s rules. It does not mean her bank branch, a government office, customer-service desk, transfer service, or every settlement-related operation is open. A bank holiday may affect how quickly a deposit or transfer becomes available. If an order depends on a same-day cash transfer, confirm the available balance in the brokerage account before relying on it.

Why do people say the bond market is closed?

The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) publishes recommended holiday schedules for specified U.S. dollar-denominated fixed-income and money-market trading. Its 2026 schedule recommends a full close on Columbus Day, October 12. This applies to covered activity such as U.S. government securities, mortgage- and asset-backed securities, corporate and municipal bonds, and some secondary money-market trading. It is separate from the exchange calendars for NYSE-listed and Nasdaq-listed equities.

That difference matters if Maya also plans to trade a Treasury security, a bond fund, or another fixed-income product. A fund’s shares may trade on an open stock exchange even if the underlying bond market is observing a recommended holiday close; the fund’s market price, trading activity, and the availability of underlying bond quotes may not behave as they would on an ordinary full-market day. Product mechanics differ, so check the fund sponsor or broker for the specific instrument. Do not infer that every bond-related transaction, fund, futures contract, or settlement service follows one identical schedule.

What are the normal stock-trading hours?

NYSE core trading for its main equity session is 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. Nasdaq lists the same 9:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m. ET regular session for its stock market. Nasdaq also lists premarket trading from 4:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and after-hours trading from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET, but access can vary by broker and extended-hours trading has different risks, including lower liquidity and greater price volatility. A broker may impose its own order-entry limits or cutoffs.

For Maya, the practical plan is to treat October 12 like a regular stock-market weekday for a listed ETF order, but not to assume her employer or bank is operating normally. If she uses a limit order, she should review the order’s duration and whether the broker will carry it forward if it does not execute. If she is trading a bond or placing an order that requires a transfer, she should separately verify that market’s and provider’s schedule.

October dates to know beyond Columbus Day

There are no scheduled full-day NYSE or Nasdaq equity closures in October 2026. Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11, is a federal holiday, but it is not a scheduled full-day closure on the NYSE or Nasdaq 2026 equity calendars. The next scheduled full-day equity closure after October is Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26. Christmas, Friday, December 25, is also a scheduled full-day closure; the NYSE and Nasdaq schedules list an early close on Friday, November 27, and an early close on Thursday, December 24. Always use the current official exchange calendar for the relevant year and market.

One calendar mismatch that often causes confusion is Thanksgiving week. A federal holiday calendar, a stock-exchange schedule, and a fixed-income recommendation may show different status or early-close conventions on adjacent dates. On the November 27, 2026 early-close date, the NYSE and Nasdaq list a 1:00 p.m. ET close, while SIFMA’s recommendation for covered fixed-income trading is an early close at 2:00 p.m. ET. These times are for different markets and should not be blended into a single “Wall Street close.”

How to verify an order before the holiday

1. Identify the instrument: common stock, ETF, option, bond, mutual fund, or another product.
2. Check the correct market’s calendar, not just a list of federal holidays.
3. Confirm the relevant hours and time zone. NYSE and Nasdaq core equity hours are given in Eastern Time.
4. Check your broker’s order-entry, extended-hours, and funding rules, especially if a bank transfer is involved.
5. For a bond or fixed-income trade, consult the applicable market schedule; SIFMA’s recommendation is not the NYSE or Nasdaq equity calendar.

In the hypothetical example, Maya can expect NYSE and Nasdaq regular equity trading to be available on Monday, October 12, 2026, but she should confirm that her account is funded and that her specific order type can be handled as intended. The short answer remains simple: NYSE and Nasdaq are open on Columbus Day 2026; covered U.S. fixed-income markets are scheduled to observe a SIFMA-recommended full close.

Sources: NYSE Holidays and Trading Hours; Nasdaq U.S. Stock Market Holiday Schedule; U.S. Office of Personnel Management 2026 Federal Holiday Schedule; SIFMA U.S. Holiday Recommendations.