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How many trading days are in 2026?
The US stock market’s trading days for 2026 and 2027, counted day by day from NYSE’s published holiday calendar — by month, by year, and inside a prop firm challenge window.
How many trading days are in a year?
There are 251 trading days in 2026 on the NYSE and Nasdaq: 261 weekdays minus 10 exchange holidays. 2027 also has 251. A typical year has about 252 — 260 to 262 weekdays less 9 or 10 holidays — which is why 252 is the standard number used to annualise daily returns and volatility.
Trading days by month
NYSE and Nasdaq sessions per month. Early closes count as trading days.
Month
2026 trading days
2026 holidays
2027 trading days
2027 holidays
Counted from NYSE Holidays & Trading Hours, read 2026-09-24. Holiday dates are on the 2026 stock market holiday calendar.
How the count works
Every calendar day of the year, less weekends, less the days the exchanges are closed.
Year
Calendar days
Weekend days
Weekdays
Holidays
Trading days
Full-length sessions
Why a trading year is 252 days
A year has 52 weeks and one or two extra days, so 260 to 262 weekdays. The US exchanges close for up to ten holidays, and a holiday that lands on a weekend is usually moved to the Friday before or Monday after, so it still costs a weekday. Subtract and the answer is 250 to 252 in almost every year — 2026 has 261 weekdays and 10 holidays, for 251.
252 is the round number finance settled on before Juneteenth became a market holiday in 2022, and it has stuck as a convention. It is the factor used to annualise: daily volatility times the square root of 252, or a daily return compounded 252 times. When you need the real count for a specific year, use the table above.
Trading days in a prop firm challenge
US stock market sessions inside a 30-calendar-day window, by the month it starts.
A 30-day evaluation bought on Thursday, October 1, 2026 runs to Friday, October 30, 2026 and contains 22 US stock market trading days — about 73% of the calendar. A profit target has to be reached in those sessions, and a start date that catches a holiday or an extra weekend costs a day or two, as the table shows.
This counts exchange sessions, not a firm’s “minimum trading days”, which counts only days you place a trade. Futures and forex accounts usually have more sessions available: CME futures trade shortened sessions on most stock market holidays (CME holidays, futures market hours) and forex runs straight through them (forex market hours).
Window
Calendar days
Trading days
FAQs — trading days
Counted from NYSE’s calendar, read 2026-09-24.
How many trading days are in a year?
About 252. The exact number depends on how the weekends and holidays fall: 2026 has 251 NYSE trading days and 2027 has 251. Since Juneteenth became a market holiday in 2022, most years land between 250 and 252.
How many trading days are in a month?
Usually 20 to 22. In 2026 the range is 19 (February) to 22, an average of 20.9.
Why is 252 used for annualising returns?
Because it is the long-run average number of US trading days in a year. Daily volatility is annualised by multiplying by the square root of 252, and a daily return is compounded over 252 periods. It is a convention, not the count for any particular year.
How many trading days are in a week?
Five — Monday to Friday — except in a week with a market holiday, which has four. Stocks do not trade on weekends.
Does a prop firm “minimum trading days” rule use this count?
No. A minimum-trading-days rule counts the days on which you actually place a trade, and each firm defines what qualifies. The exchange calendar only tells you how many sessions are available inside a challenge window.
Do forex and futures have the same number of trading days?
No. Forex trades Sunday evening to Friday evening through US stock market holidays, and CME futures trade shortened sessions on most of them. The 251 figure is for US stocks; a forex or futures account usually has more sessions available.
Related reference
Market calendars and hours, and where they meet prop firm rules.
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