US trading holidays can close US cash equities, shorten a session, or leave exchanges open while banking participation falls. In 2026, the New York Stock Exchange has 10 full holiday closures and two early closes.
Brazilians trading with a prop firm should not treat those dates as one market-wide switch. Spot forex may remain available while US index CFDs, gold, futures-linked products, and USD/BRL follow different hours or trade with thinner liquidity.
In this article, Brazilian traders will see every important 2026 date in Brasília time, learn why a US bank holiday can matter even when the NYSE is open, and build a simple Atmos Funded checklist for spreads, news, position risk, and altered instrument hours.
Key Takeaways
- The NYSE is fully closed on 10 dates in 2026 and closes at 1:00 p.m. ET on November 27 and December 24.
- Columbus Day and Veterans Day are Federal Reserve holidays, but the NYSE remains open. Participation in USD funding and fixed-income markets may still be lower.
- Forex is decentralized and may stay open on a US holiday. Availability does not guarantee normal spreads, depth, rollover, or execution.
- The regular NYSE core session is 10:30-17:00 in Brasília during US daylight saving time and 11:30-18:00 during US standard time.
- Atmos Funded permits overnight and weekend holding across account types, but drawdown, high-impact news, and prohibited-strategy rules continue to apply.
2026 US Trading Holidays Calendar for Brazilian Prop Traders
This calendar uses the NYSE cash-equity session as its reference. Forex, futures, metals, and CFDs can use separate schedules, so every instrument still needs a direct check.
| Date | US Holiday | Market Status | Brasília Time | What Traders Should Know |
| Jan 1, Thu | New Year’s Day | Full NYSE closure | No core session | Forex and derivatives may use special hours; global liquidity is commonly very thin. |
| Jan 19, Mon | Martin Luther King Jr. Day | Full NYSE and Fed closure | No core session | USD participation falls; US index and futures-linked schedules may be shortened. |
| Feb 16, Mon | Washington’s Birthday | Full NYSE and Fed closure | No core session | Also Carnival Monday in Brazil; B3 is closed, reducing both US and Brazilian participation. |
| Apr 3, Fri | Good Friday | Full NYSE closure; not a Fed holiday | No core session | B3 is also closed. Spot FX may quote, but liquidity can be unusually poor. |
| May 25, Mon | Memorial Day | Full NYSE and Fed closure | No core session | Check abbreviated US index, metal, and futures hours before holding or entering. |
| Jun 19, Fri | Juneteenth | Full NYSE and Fed closure | No core session | USD settlement and US cash equities are affected; B3-related FX settlement can also change. |
| Jul 3, Fri | Independence Day observed | Full NYSE closure; Fed Banks open | No core session | NYSE observes July 4 on Friday. Do not assume every US banking service follows the exchange. |
| Sep 7, Mon | Labor Day | Full NYSE and Fed closure | No core session | Brazil’s Independence Day also closes B3, making this a broad low-participation date. |
| Oct 12, Mon | Columbus Day | NYSE open; Fed closed | 10:30-17:00 BRT | Brazil’s Aparecida Day closes B3. US equities trade, but USD settlement and bank activity are reduced. |
| Nov 11, Wed | Veterans Day | NYSE open; Fed closed | 11:30-18:00 BRT | Cash equities keep normal hours, while banking and some fixed-income activity are affected. |
| Nov 26, Thu | Thanksgiving Day | Full NYSE and Fed closure | No core session | Major US holiday conditions; many related instruments use closures or abbreviated schedules. |
| Nov 27, Fri | Day after Thanksgiving | NYSE early close at 1:00 p.m. ET | 11:30-15:00 BRT | Liquidity can fade before the official close; eligible options close at 1:15 p.m. ET. |
| Dec 24, Thu | Christmas Eve | NYSE early close at 1:00 p.m. ET | 11:30-15:00 BRT | B3 has no trading session. Forex and metals can also move to special hours. |
| Dec 25, Fri | Christmas Day | Full NYSE and Fed closure | No core session | One of the year’s thinnest global sessions; many products are closed. |
Source note: 2026 dates follow the NYSE holiday calendar and the Federal Reserve holiday schedule. Brasília uses BRT (UTC-3). Product-specific schedules may change close to the holiday.
Why US Trading Holidays Matter for Brazilian Prop Traders?
A US closure can remove the deepest part of the New York session even when a platform displays prices. Orders may meet fewer counterparties, stops can fill beyond their trigger, and a position carried into the next active session may reopen with a gap.
The calendar also changes the number of useful sessions in a month. Traders planning targets should distinguish available dates from high-quality dates, as explained in Atmos Funded’s guide to how many trading days are in a year. A market being technically open does not make it worth trading.
Holiday Trading Hours and Early Closures
An early close compresses the session. On November 27, 2026 and December 24, 2026, NYSE cash equities close at 15:00 Brasília time instead of 18:00. Index, futures, options, metals, and CFD schedules can close at different times, so the cash-equity time should never be copied across symbols.
Liquidity, Spreads and Slippage
Lower participation can widen spreads and reduce market depth. A familiar lot size may carry more execution risk. Slippage can push a stop beyond its planned loss, while thin conditions can produce false breaks.
That extra execution loss still reaches the account floor. Atmos traders should leave a buffer and understand max drawdown in prop trading before sizing a holiday-session trade.
Are Forex Markets Open on US Holidays?
Forex often remains open on US holidays because spot FX is an over-the-counter global market rather than one centralized US exchange. London, Asia, and other dealing centers can still quote currencies even when the NYSE or Federal Reserve is closed.
However, forex market holidays 2026 should be read as liquidity events, not only open-or-closed dates. A Federal Reserve holiday can affect USD settlement and bank participation. Christmas, New Year, and Good Friday can reduce liquidity across several regions. The trader’s MT5 symbol schedule and available quotes are the final operational checks.
What Time Do US Markets Open and Close in Brazil?
The normal NYSE core session runs from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Brasília stays on UTC-3 in 2026, while New York changes clocks. That makes the Brazilian schedule shift by one hour during the year.
US Daylight Saving Time vs Brasília Time
From March 8 through October 31, 2026, New York observes daylight saving time. The regular session is 10:30-17:00 BRT. From January 1 through March 7 and from November 1 through year-end, it is 11:30-18:00 BRT. The November 27 and December 24 early closes therefore run 11:30-15:00 BRT.
Economic releases also shift in Brasília time with the US clock. Traders should confirm the displayed calendar timezone instead of reusing an old screenshot or a fixed reminder.
Which Markets Should Brazilian Prop Traders Watch on US Holidays?
USD Forex Pairs
EUR/USD, GBP/USD, USD/JPY, and USD/CAD depend heavily on New York participation. USD/BRL adds Brazilian liquidity, B3, local-bank, and settlement calendars, so a holiday in either country can matter. The result may be fewer clean setups, wider spreads, or delayed settlement rather than a full closure.
For pair selection outside holiday sessions, Atmos Funded’s guide to the best forex pairs to trade compares liquidity, volatility, and prop-account risk.
US Indices and Gold
US30, NAS100, and SPX500 products are closely connected to US cash and futures sessions, so full closures and early closes deserve special attention. Gold is global, but XAU/USD liquidity and COMEX-linked hours can still change around US holidays. A platform may show a symbol as open while spreads or execution quality differ sharply from a normal New York session.
Should Brazilian Prop Traders Trade During US Holidays?
Trading is not automatically a mistake, but reduced liquidity removes the reason to force ordinary session targets. A valid setup should still have acceptable spread, enough market depth, a clear exit route, and position size that can absorb slippage.
The better decision may be to reduce size, trade a market with active regional participation, manage an existing swing position, or skip the session. A holiday should never become an excuse to chase a minimum day or recover a loss quickly.
How to Prepare for a US Trading Holiday
- Mark full closures, early closes, and bank-only holidays separately.
- Check the exact holiday trading hours for every intended symbol inside the platform.
- Confirm the economic calendar in Brasília time, including releases moved around the holiday.
- Review open positions, swaps, pending orders, stop placement, and possible reopening gaps.
- Compare the current spread with a normal session and reduce size when execution risk is higher.
- Keep enough drawdown room for floating loss and slippage instead of sizing to the hard limit.
What Atmos Funded Traders from Brazil Should Check Before a US Holiday
Atmos Funded allows positions to be held overnight and over weekends across all account types, which gives swing traders flexibility. That permission does not transfer the risk away from the trader. In a prop firm account, floating loss, spread expansion, swaps, and gaps can still reduce daily or maximum drawdown room.
Prop firms in general prohibit opening or closing trades within a certain time period before or after high-impact news. For most, it varies from 2 to 5 minutes, and as for Atmos Funded, it is two minutes before or after high-impact news.
Holding an existing position through the event is permitted, though. Pending orders, stop-losses, and take-profits triggered inside the restricted window can count as executions, so the release calendar must be checked even on a shortened session.
Before a US holiday, the trader should confirm the symbol’s displayed session, close vulnerable pending orders, check the selected account’s drawdown method, and keep a buffer. Atmos does not require daily trading, so skipping a low-quality holiday session is compatible with a disciplined plan.
Final Thoughts
The 2026 US trading holidays calendar includes 10 full NYSE closures, two early closes, and two major bank holidays when US cash equities remain open. Brazilian traders need all three categories because exchange status, settlement activity, and practical liquidity are not the same thing.
The strongest plan is simple: use this article to check info, translate the session into Brasília time, check the actual instrument schedule, review news, and size for the liquidity available rather than the liquidity expected on a normal day. Atmos Funded gives traders flexibility to hold positions, but the account rules and market risk remain active through every holiday.
If you are looking for the best prop firm that’s accessible in Brazil, check out the 6 Best Prop Firms for Brazilian Traders.
FAQs
Do US Holidays Affect USD/BRL Trading?
Yes. USD/BRL depends on US dollar settlement and Brazilian participation. A US or B3 holiday can reduce liquidity, alter settlement, or widen spreads even when a price is still available.
Can Brazilian Atmos Funded Traders Hold Positions Over US Holidays?
Yes. Atmos Funded permits overnight and weekend holding across all account types. Traders remain responsible for swaps, gaps, spread changes, drawdown, and news restrictions.
Can US Holidays Affect Prop Firm Payouts for Brazilian Traders?
They do not automatically change reward eligibility, but bank wires and payment providers can take longer when a banking holiday interrupts business-day processing. Atmos states that valid payout requests are normally processed within two to five business days.
Are Brazilian Markets Open When US Markets Are Closed?
Sometimes. B3 follows its own 2026 calendar, so a US closure does not automatically close Brazilian markets. Some dates overlap, including Good Friday, September 7, and Christmas; others affect US-linked settlement while parts of B3 continue operating.
Do US Bank Holidays Affect Brazilian Prop Traders Even When Markets Stay Open?
Yes. Columbus Day and Veterans Day leave the NYSE open but close Federal Reserve services. Cash equities can trade normally while USD funding, settlement, fixed-income participation, and related liquidity are reduced.
