Is the Stock Market Open Today? Here Are the Trading Hours for Columbus Day.

Banks and post offices are closed for the Columbus Day holiday, which falls on the second Monday of October each year. (AFP via Getty Images)

October isn’t even half-over, and Wall Street already has a lot to process.

On Oct. 1, the U.S. government formally entered a shutdown after lawmakers failed to resolve a budgeting dispute that revolved largely around healthcare.

Delta Air Lines and PepsiCo also kicked off the third-quarter earnings season on Oct. 9, ahead of reports this week from major U.S. banks such as JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America .

Columbus Day has arrived, offering traders a moment of reprieve from the tumultuous news cycle—but not everyone will catch a break.

Here is what investors should know about trading hours on Monday.

Is the Stock Market Open or Closed on Columbus Day?

The New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq Stock Market will both be open on Columbus Day, which is a federal holiday. However, bond markets and over-the-counter operations will be closed.

Certain commodity futures markets, such as the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and Intercontinental Exchange, will be open with restrictions. CME Clearing will be open to clear trades, though there will be changes to certain processing and trade submission timelines for over-the-counter products. Meanwhile, ICE Futures will be open to trade products such as cocoa and coffee, while canola contracts will be closed.

Are International Markets Open on Columbus Day?

Foreign stock exchanges will be open. These include the Shanghai Stock Exchange, the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong, the Tokyo Stock Exchange, and the London Stock Exchange.

Are Banks and Post Offices Open?

As they follow the Federal Reserve’s holiday schedule, most banks will be closed, including branches at Bank of America, Capital One, JPMorgan Chase, and Wells Fargo. However, ATMs and online banking services will generally be available.

Don’t bother visiting the post office: Columbus Day is one of 11 U.S. Postal Service holidays observed in 2025, according to the agency’s website.

What About Private Carriers?

Unlike other federal holidays, UPS pickup and delivery will be available. Physical UPS Store locations will also be open, according to the carrier’s website.

While FedEx services such as FedEx Freight, FedEx Office, and FedEx Custom Critical will generally be available, there will be modified service, such as early on-call pickups and drop box pickups in some areas.

How Has the Market Performed Around Columbus Day?

Data show that the “October effect,” or the belief that stocks are more likely to decline during the month, is largely baseless and likely inspired by historical crashes in 1929 and 1987.

Over the past decade, the major indexes haven’t performed consistently in October, according to Dow Jones Market Data. Last year, the S&P 500 fell 1% in the tenth month of the year, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite fell 0.5%. The indexes also declined in Oct. 2023.

However, the indexes had a comparatively strong performance in Oct. 2022, with the S&P 500 gaining just shy of 8% and the Nasdaq rising 3.9%. According to Dow Jones Market Data, Oct. 2015 was even better: the benchmark index gained 8.3% that month, while the Nasdaq Composite jumped 9.4%, fueled by global stimulus efforts and strong earnings.

What Else Should I Know About Columbus Day?

Celebrated annually on the second Monday of October, Columbus Day is a federal holiday that honors the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus.

Columbus made four trips across the Atlantic Ocean under the flag of Spain between 1492 and 1502. He was looking for a direct water route west from Europe to Asia, but he encountered the Americas instead.

Columbus Day became a federally recognized holiday in 1971 to commemorate the landing of Columbus in the Americas in October 1492. However, criticism of the explorer’s treatment of indigenous peoples has grown in the years since.

South Dakota became the first U.S. state to officially recognize a “Native Americans’ Day” in 1990. Two years later, the city of Berkeley, Calif., became the first U.S. city to replace Columbus Day with a day to commemorate indigenous people. Today, Maine and New Mexico are among a handful of states that refer to Columbus Day as Indigenous Peoples’ Day to honor the native inhabitants of the land.

Then-President Joe Biden was the first U.S. president to observe Indigenous Peoples’ Day at the White House in 2021, issuing a presidential proclamation. However, Indigenous Peoples’ Day remained a nonfederal holiday.

Trump issued a proclamation last week that dubbed Oct. 13 Columbus Day, with no mention of Indigenous Peoples’ Day. “Outrageously, in recent years, Christopher Columbus has been a prime target of a vicious and merciless campaign to erase our history, slander our heroes, and attack our heritage,” he said.

Write to Mackenzie Tatananni at mackenzie.tatananni@barrons.com