Market vs. Bank Holidays: What’s the difference and why should you care?

Knowing the holidays the U.S. financial markets and banks are closed is just as important as knowing their daily hours of operation.

Have you ever wanted to place a trade, deposit a check, or withdraw money only to learn that the U.S. financial markets or your bank are closed for a holiday? 

Or have you ever waited anxiously for pay-day and find out you’re going to get the money a day late because of a holiday?

To prevent this from happening again, we’ve created a list of market and bank holidays along with the next date on which they will be observed for you to bookmark.

Keep in mind that market holidays do not always coincide with bank holidays, even if the lists may appear identical at first glance.

 

What is considered a Market Holiday?

A non-weekend day on which the U.S. financial markets are closed. 

This includes the stock market and bond markets, typically. If you want to buy or sell an investment such as a stock, ETF, mutual fund or bond, it’s important to know when the trading days are closed.

 

What is considered a Bank Holiday?

A non-weekend day which most commercial banks and savings institutions are closed to the public.

While all Federal Banks and branches are closed, it is important to know that not every bank observes the holidays below; so, be sure to check your bank’s holiday schedule.

 

2024 Market Holidays

  • New Year’s Day – January 1, 2024
  • Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – January 15, 2024
  • Washington’s Birthday – February 19, 2024
  • Good Friday – March 29, 2024
  • Memorial Day – May 27, 2024
  • Juneteenth National Independence Day – June 19, 2024
  • Independence Day – July 4, 2024
  • Labor Day – September 2, 2024
  • Thanksgiving Day – November 28, 2024
  • Christmas Day – December 25, 2024
 

2024 Bank Holidays

 
  • New Year’s Day – January 1, 2024
  • Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – January 15, 2024
  • Washington’s Birthday – February 19, 2024
  • Memorial Day – May 27, 2024
  • Juneteenth National Independence Day- June 19, 2024
  • Independence Day – July 4, 2024
  • Labor Day – September 2, 2024
  • Columbus Day – October 14, 2024
  • Veterans Day – November 11, 2024
  • Thanksgiving Day – November 28, 2024
  • Christmas Day – December 25, 2024



THE BOTTOM LINE: 

When we invest in the stock market or deposit our income into a bank account for safekeeping, we like to think that we have full control of when we can access the that money at all times. However, market and bank holidays, along with regular scheduled business hours, may temporarily limit that control.

The key is to be informed and prepared, so you’ll never feel like you’re limited in accessing your money. 

You know that most bank branches close at 5 PM, so you’re not going to go there at 10 PM expecting to deposit a check. In the same way, you can be prepared when banks and the financial markets are closed for a holiday. 

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This data is for informational purposes only and Capital Benchmark Partners, LLC (“CBP”) is not affiliated with any of the businesses mentioned nor endorses them. CBP is not endorsed by any third party entities for their inclusion in this article nor is compensated for mentioning them. *Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. The information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable but the accuracy of the information cannot be guaranteed.

 

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