CME Holiday Schedule and Futures Market Hours
The CME holiday schedule lists no close on Thanksgiving Day 2026: ES and NQ go to preopen at 12:00 PM CT (1:00 PM ET), when nothing matches, and open again at 5:00 PM CT (6:00 PM ET). They close early on Friday, November 27 at 12:15 PM CT (1:15 PM ET) and open next on Sunday, November 29 at 5:00 PM CT (6:00 PM ET). They close early again on Thursday, December 24 at 12:15 PM CT (1:15 PM ET), and the next open after that is Sunday, December 27 at 5:00 PM CT (6:00 PM ET). On Thursday, December 31 they close at the regular 4:00 PM CT (5:00 PM ET) with no reopen listed that evening, and the next open is Sunday, January 3, 2027 at 5:00 PM CT (6:00 PM ET).
Times are as CME Group published them on its trading hours page, read November 3, 2026. CME says the schedule can change and that hours are usually finalized about two weeks before the holiday, so check that page before you trade.
This reference is for NinjaTrader traders who want CME’s times in both Central and Eastern. It covers exchange hours, not which session to trade. For what RTH and ETH charts do to your readings, see how session times change what your indicators show.
CME holiday schedule through January 2027
This futures market holiday schedule covers four holidays from CME’s calendar. We read the calendar for ES, NQ, RTY, YM, CL, GC, ZN and 6E, and for the micros MES, MNQ, M2K, MYM, MCL and MGC, which list the same holiday times as ES, NQ, RTY, YM, CL and GC. Check any other contract, such as NG or SI, on CME.
| Holiday | Dates in our tables | What the calendar lists for ES, NQ, RTY, YM, CL, GC, ZN and 6E |
|---|---|---|
| Thanksgiving | Nov 25 to 29, 2026 | No close Thursday, a preopen that varies by product, open at 5:00 PM CT (6:00 PM ET), early close Friday, open Sunday at 5:00 PM CT (6:00 PM ET) |
| Christmas | Dec 24 to 27, 2026 | Early close Thursday, no times listed Friday or Saturday, open Sunday at 5:00 PM CT (6:00 PM ET) |
| New Year’s | Dec 31, 2026 to Jan 3, 2027 | Close Thursday at 4:00 PM CT (5:00 PM ET), no times listed Friday or Saturday, open Sunday at 5:00 PM CT (6:00 PM ET) |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Day | Jan 15 to 18, 2027 | Close Friday at 4:00 PM CT (5:00 PM ET), open Sunday at 5:00 PM CT (6:00 PM ET), Monday preopen that varies by product, open at 5:00 PM CT (6:00 PM ET) |
Futures market holiday hours differ by product, so each table names its products. CME publishes in U.S. Central time, and we added one hour for Eastern.
ES closes 15 minutes after NYSE on both early-close days: NYSE’s hours page, read November 3, 2026, lists a 1:00 PM ET (12:00 PM CT) close on Friday, November 27 and Thursday, December 24.
Regular futures market hours for ES, NQ, CL and GC
In a regular week these contracts trade on CME Globex from Sunday evening to Friday afternoon, with a one-hour break each day. These futures trading hours come from CME’s contract spec pages, read November 3, 2026: ES, NQ, RTY, YM, CL and GC.
| Products | Globex hours, CT | Globex hours, ET | Daily break |
|---|---|---|---|
| ES, NQ, RTY, YM | Sunday 5:00 PM to Friday 4:00 PM | Sunday 6:00 PM to Friday 5:00 PM | 4:00 to 5:00 PM CT (5:00 to 6:00 PM ET) |
| CL, GC | Sunday to Friday, 5:00 PM to 4:00 PM | Sunday to Friday, 6:00 PM to 5:00 PM | 60 minutes from 4:00 PM CT (5:00 PM ET) |
CME’s equity index spec pages call that break a maintenance period. The spec pages list the same regular hours for the micros: MES, MNQ, M2K and MYM with the equity index line, MCL with CL and MGC with GC. CME’s calendar lists the same holiday times for each of them as for its larger contract.
For ES, NQ, RTY, YM, CL, GC, ZN and 6E, CME’s calendar shows a regular day’s break as the three states below, and the holiday tables use the same words.
| State (ES, NQ, RTY, YM, CL, GC, ZN, 6E) | CT | ET | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Closed | 4:00 PM | 5:00 PM | Trading for that date ends. CME removes Day orders, plus GTD orders set for that trade date. |
| Preopen | 4:45 PM | 5:45 PM | You can enter, change or cancel orders, but nothing matches. |
| Open | 5:00 PM | 6:00 PM | Orders match as usual. |
Futures market hours for Thanksgiving 2026
CME’s calendar lists no close on Thursday, November 26, so Thanksgiving Day is not a full closure. ES, NQ, RTY, YM, ZN, CL, GC and 6E trade from Wednesday’s evening open until their Thursday preopen, and nothing matches from then until the 5:00 PM CT (6:00 PM ET) open.
| Date | Products | State | CT | ET |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed, Nov 25 | ES, NQ, RTY, YM, ZN, CL, GC, 6E | Closed | 4:00 PM | 5:00 PM |
| Wed, Nov 25 | ES, NQ, RTY, YM, ZN, CL, GC, 6E | Preopen | 4:45 PM | 5:45 PM |
| Wed, Nov 25 | ES, NQ, RTY, YM, ZN, CL, GC, 6E | Open (trade date Fri, Nov 27) | 5:00 PM | 6:00 PM |
| Thu, Nov 26 | ES, NQ, RTY, YM, ZN | Preopen | 12:00 PM | 1:00 PM |
| Thu, Nov 26 | CL, GC | Preopen | 1:30 PM | 2:30 PM |
| Thu, Nov 26 | 6E | Preopen | 4:00 PM | 5:00 PM |
| Thu, Nov 26 | ES, NQ, RTY, YM, ZN, CL, GC, 6E | Open | 5:00 PM | 6:00 PM |
| Fri, Nov 27 | ES, NQ, RTY, YM, ZN | Closed (early close) | 12:15 PM | 1:15 PM |
| Fri, Nov 27 | CL, GC, 6E | Closed (early close) | 1:45 PM | 2:45 PM |
| Sat, Nov 28 | ES, NQ, RTY, YM, CL, GC, ZN, 6E | No times listed | None | None |
| Sun, Nov 29 | ES, NQ, RTY, YM, CL, GC, ZN, 6E | Preopen | 4:00 PM | 5:00 PM |
| Sun, Nov 29 | ES, NQ, RTY, YM, CL, GC, ZN, 6E | Open (trade date Mon, Nov 30) | 5:00 PM | 6:00 PM |
Wednesday’s evening open carries trade date Friday, November 27, so that session counts toward Friday.
Futures market hours for Christmas 2026
CME’s calendar shows a normal day on Wednesday, December 23, then an early close on Thursday, December 24. The next open it lists is Sunday, December 27 at 5:00 PM CT (6:00 PM ET).
| Date | Products | State | CT | ET |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, Dec 24 | ES, NQ, RTY, YM, ZN | Closed (early close) | 12:15 PM | 1:15 PM |
| Thu, Dec 24 | CL, GC, 6E | Closed (early close) | 12:45 PM | 1:45 PM |
| Fri, Dec 25 and Sat, Dec 26 | ES, NQ, RTY, YM, CL, GC, ZN, 6E | No times listed | None | None |
| Sun, Dec 27 | ES, NQ, RTY, YM, CL, GC, ZN, 6E | Preopen | 4:00 PM | 5:00 PM |
| Sun, Dec 27 | ES, NQ, RTY, YM, CL, GC, ZN, 6E | Open (trade date Mon, Dec 28) | 5:00 PM | 6:00 PM |
CL, GC and 6E close one hour earlier on December 24 than on November 27, so don’t carry the Thanksgiving time across.
Futures market hours for New Year’s 2026-27
New Year’s Eve closes at the regular time, and CME’s calendar lists no reopen that evening. Wednesday, December 30 is a normal day, and the next open is Sunday, January 3 at 5:00 PM CT (6:00 PM ET).
| Date | Products | State | CT | ET |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, Dec 31 | ES, NQ, RTY, YM, CL, GC, ZN, 6E | Closed | 4:00 PM | 5:00 PM |
| Fri, Jan 1 and Sat, Jan 2 | ES, NQ, RTY, YM, CL, GC, ZN, 6E | No times listed | None | None |
| Sun, Jan 3 | ES, NQ, RTY, YM, CL, GC, ZN, 6E | Preopen | 4:00 PM | 5:00 PM |
| Sun, Jan 3 | ES, NQ, RTY, YM, CL, GC, ZN, 6E | Open (trade date Mon, Jan 4) | 5:00 PM | 6:00 PM |
Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2027 futures hours
Monday, January 18, 2027 reads like Thanksgiving Day: the calendar lists a preopen that varies by product, then a 5:00 PM CT (6:00 PM ET) open, and no close. The open on Sunday, January 17 carries trade date Tuesday, January 19, so that session counts toward Tuesday. Tuesday, January 19 then returns to the regular sequence.
| Date | Products | State | CT | ET |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Jan 15 | ES, NQ, RTY, YM, CL, GC, ZN, 6E | Closed | 4:00 PM | 5:00 PM |
| Sat, Jan 16 | ES, NQ, RTY, YM, CL, GC, ZN, 6E | No times listed | None | None |
| Sun, Jan 17 | ES, NQ, RTY, YM, CL, GC, ZN, 6E | Preopen | 4:00 PM | 5:00 PM |
| Sun, Jan 17 | ES, NQ, RTY, YM, CL, GC, ZN, 6E | Open (trade date Tue, Jan 19) | 5:00 PM | 6:00 PM |
| Mon, Jan 18 | ES, NQ, RTY, YM, ZN | Preopen | 12:00 PM | 1:00 PM |
| Mon, Jan 18 | CL, GC | Preopen | 1:30 PM | 2:30 PM |
| Mon, Jan 18 | 6E | Preopen | 4:00 PM | 5:00 PM |
| Mon, Jan 18 | ES, NQ, RTY, YM, ZN, CL, GC, 6E | Open | 5:00 PM | 6:00 PM |
How NinjaTrader treats holidays and shortened sessions
On a NinjaTrader chart, holidays are handled by the Trading Hours template that the chart’s Data Series uses. NinjaTrader’s help guide pages on Trading Hours, the Trading Hours window and price data, read November 3, 2026, give these rules:
- NinjaTrader keeps its trading hour definitions on its data server, and the guide says the pre-loaded templates and their holidays update automatically from it.
- NinjaTrader ignores data outside a template’s session times and excludes holidays the template defines.
- A saved chart template selected in the Data Series window overrides a Trading Hours setting made by hand.
- With Break at EOD (end of day) on, a bar ends when the Trading Hours session ends, finished or not. With it off, a bar keeps forming until it completes, so it can finish outside the session.
Of the guide’s holiday types, Full Day drops that trading date’s sessions. Early Close replaces the end time of that trading date’s EOD session, the last session of its trading day. So if your template lists Friday, November 27 as an Early Close, that date’s last session ends at the time the template gives, and data after it is ignored. With Break at EOD on, a bar still forming at that time ends there.
The guide pages we read don’t name the holidays in any template, say which type each one uses, or describe how a shortened session looks on a chart. Compare the holidays in your own template, under Tools › Trading Hours, with CME’s times.
If CME’s calendar shows the market open and your chart still is not updating, see why NinjaTrader can show connected but no data, which helps you tell a quiet market from a dead feed.
What happens to orders at a holiday close
On CME’s calendar, the closed state removes Day orders, plus GTD orders for that trade date. On an early close, that happens at the early time in the tables above.
NinjaTrader’s NinjaScript TimeInForce reference, read November 3, 2026, covers orders a strategy generates. It says the broker cancels a Day order when the trading session ends, a GTC order stays active until cancelled and a GTD order stays active until a set date. It also says what you can use depends on your broker. CME’s closed wording does not mention GTC orders, so don’t assume a holiday close removes one. See what is still in the market before you step away.
In an ATM strategy, NinjaTrader’s ATM parameters page says the time in force comes from the order entry display and applies to the entry, the stop and the target. Our guide to NinjaTrader bracket orders shows where that setting sits.
Thursday, November 26 and Monday, January 18 list a preopen but no close. CME’s closed wording does not cover a preopen, so ask your broker what happens to Day orders on those two dates. If you trade a prop firm account, read your firm’s own rules for holiday closes too.
VWAP Studio and Key Levels Confluence for NinjaTrader traders
VWAP Studio and Key Levels Confluence are two of our indicators for NinjaTrader traders who watch session opens and prior session levels. VWAP Studio anchors the VWAP to the session, week, month, quarter, year or any clock time you pick. Key Levels Confluence plots prior highs, lows, opens and closes from as many recent sessions as you choose, and combines them with Fibonacci, pivots, whole numbers and current-day levels into zones.
Frequently asked questions
Are futures open on Thanksgiving?
Partly: CME’s calendar lists no close on Thursday, November 26, 2026. ES, NQ, RTY, YM and ZN go to preopen at 12:00 PM CT (1:00 PM ET), CL and GC at 1:30 PM CT (2:30 PM ET) and 6E at 4:00 PM CT (5:00 PM ET). The calendar lists an open for all of them at 5:00 PM CT (6:00 PM ET).
Are futures open on Christmas?
Not on CME’s 2026 calendar. Trading stops early on Thursday, December 24, and no trading times are listed for Friday, December 25 or Saturday, December 26. The next open is Sunday, December 27 at 5:00 PM CT (6:00 PM ET).
Are futures open on New Year’s Day?
Not on CME’s calendar for January 1, 2027. They close at 4:00 PM CT (5:00 PM ET) on Thursday, December 31 with no reopen listed, and no trading times are listed for January 1 or 2. The next open is Sunday, January 3 at 5:00 PM CT (6:00 PM ET).
Are futures open today?
It depends on the date and the contract. In a regular week, ES, NQ, CL and GC trade from Sunday 5:00 PM CT (6:00 PM ET) to Friday 4:00 PM CT (5:00 PM ET), with a one-hour daily break. Our tables stop at Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2027, so for later holidays use CME’s trading hours page.
What are ES futures hours?
CME’s spec page lists ES on Globex from Sunday 5:00 PM CT (6:00 PM ET) to Friday 4:00 PM CT (5:00 PM ET), with a daily maintenance period from 4:00 to 5:00 PM CT (5:00 to 6:00 PM ET). Holiday dates differ, as the tables above show.
What are CME holiday hours?
For ES and NQ, the early closes on CME’s calendar are 12:15 PM CT (1:15 PM ET) on November 27 and December 24, 2026. CME publishes these hours in U.S. Central time, so add one hour for Eastern. It says they are usually finalized about two weeks before the holiday and can change.
How do NinjaTrader trading hours handle a holiday?
It depends on the holiday type in the chart’s Trading Hours template. NinjaTrader’s help guide says Full Day drops that date’s sessions and Early Close replaces the end time of its last session, and that holidays update automatically from its data server. The pages we read don’t list which holidays a template carries, so compare yours with CME’s times.
Next, see how the session setting changes a VWAP in our VWAP trading strategy guide, or read about starting one from a session open in our guide to anchored VWAP.