Most European markets will be closed Easter Monday as well
Major U.S. exchanges will be closed on Good Friday, while the most-watched European markets will be closed on both Good Friday and Easter Monday.
Good Friday is a Christian holiday that celebrates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, while Easter Monday is the Monday following Easter Sunday, which celebrates Christ’s resurrection. The New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq and CME Globex futures and options, including equities futures ESM9, +0.12% and commodities such as crude oil CLK9, -0.13% gold GCM9, -0.27% will all be closed for trading.
The tradition of market closures on Good Friday is notable in that it is the only day of the year when markets will be closed on a day that is not a federal holiday.
The New York Stock Exchange has been closed on the Friday before Easter every year since 1889, with exceptions in 1906 and 1907, according to an NYSE spokeswoman. A recent survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management reported that just 27% of businesses close their doors on Good Friday, versus 93% for Memorial Day and 94% for Labor Day.
The market closure comes as stock-market investors are gearing up for first-quarter earnings season and following one of the best starts to the year for large U.S. companies. Year-to-date, the S&P 500 SPX, -0.06% has gained 16%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, -0.10% has added 13.2%, while the Nasdaq COMP, -0.10% climbed 20.3%, as of Friday’s close.
Markets for government bonds TMUBMUSD10Y, -0.07% and other fixed-income securities will also be closed on Good Friday, per the recommendation of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association. SIFMA also recommends that fixed-income markets close early on Thursday, at 2 p.m. Eastern Time.
All major European stock exchanges will be closed on both days, including a hiatus for Germany’s Dax, DAX, +0.17% France’s CAC 40 PX1, +0.11% and the U.K.’s FTSE 100 UKX, +0.00% In each of these countries, both Good Friday and Easter Monday are national holidays.
In Asia, the Singapore Stock Exchange will be closed, while exchanges in Japan and China will be open. Currency markets will remain open, though volume is expected to be light.