Martin Luther King Jr. Day History
A comprehensive look at the hard-fought campaign to establish Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a federal holiday and its transformation into a national day of service.
U.S. stock markets will be closed on Monday, January 19th in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday.
According to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, President Ronald Reagan signed the King Holiday Act on November 2, 1983, making it a federal holiday honoring the life of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. In his speech, President Reagan said the day should be used each year to remember the civil rights leader and “the causes he championed,” according to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum.
Both the Nasdaq Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange will be closed on Monday for the federal holiday, but will reopen with regular trading hours on Tuesday, January 20th.
The U.S. bond market will also close on January 19 and reopen on the 20th, according to the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association.
After MLK Day, Wall Street will continue business as usual until Monday, February 16, when the stock and bond markets will close in honor of President’s Day.
US stock market holiday schedule for 2026
In 2026, the U.S. stock market will be closed on the following days:
- President’s Day: Monday, February 16th
- Good Friday: Friday, April 3rd
- Memorial Day: Monday, May 25th
- juneteenth: Friday June 19th
- independence day: Friday, July 3rd
- labor day: Monday, September 7th
- Thanksgiving: Thursday, November 26th (market will also close at 1pm ET on November 25th)
- Christmas: Friday, December 25th (market closes at 1pm ET on December 24th)
Mike Snyder is a national trends news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, and X, and email him at: mike snyder & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com.
