Is the stock exchange open today? Here are the opening hours for Christmas Eve.

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Americans are getting ready to celebrate Christmas while the United States continues to face the highly contagious Omicron variant, persistent inflation and labor shortages.

But all is not doom and gloom.

The S&P 500 index closed up 0.6% on Thursday, up 25.8% so far this year. The index also climbed on Tuesday and Wednesday, with growth partly spurred by strong economic data. Consumer confidence increased in December, which has helped alleviate investors’ concerns about the risk posed by Covid-19 and inflation.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.6 percent on Thursday, rising 17.5 percent so far this year.

While many investors may take a break on Christmas Eve this Friday, others may be looking to trade. Here’s what you need to know about the markets.

Is the stock exchange closed on Christmas Eve 2021?

The New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq will be closed on Christmas Eve. US bond markets and US over-the-counter markets will also be closed.

Are foreign exchanges open on Christmas Eve?

The London Stock Exchange closed at 12.30 local time on Thursday, and will remain closed on Christmas Eve. The Toronto Stock Exchange will be open on Friday until 1 p.m. Eastern.

In Asia, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange is slated to close at noon local time on Christmas Eve. The Shanghai Stock Exchange and the Tokyo Stock Exchange will be open regular opening hours.

What are retail stocks ready to look like this Christmas and beyond?

While many started shopping early on holiday, November expenses did not pick up as much as experts expected. But the outlook for the coming months is strong, analysts say.

Companies such as

Walmart

(ticker: WMT),

Costco Wholesale

(COST),

Goal

(TGT) and

BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings

(BJ) looks well positioned to handle more consumers staying home while waiting for the Omicron variant, says Jefferies analyst Stephanie Wissink. Next year could be the year for fashion capture, which she says could increase the proportions

Macy’s

(M) and

Kohls

(KSS).

How have stocks performed on Christmas Eve?

Apart from the year when the market was closed on Christmas Eve, the S&P 500 has averaged a 0.2% increase on occasion – which is higher than the index’s daily average increase of 0.03%, according to Dow Jones Market Data. But the S&P 500’s average movement on Christmas Eve is 0.48%, lower than the daily average movement of 0.74%.

What about New Year’s Day and New Year’s Eve?

The New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq and US over-the-counter markets will be open regular opening hours on Friday 31. December. However, US bond markets will close early at 14.00 east.

New Year’s Day 2022 falls on a Saturday. And while most global financial markets will be closed on Monday, January 3, 2021, in conjunction with the holiday season, US markets will be open.

The lack of New Year’s Day for stock traders is a result of NYSE rule 7.2, which stipulates that the stock exchange will be closed either Friday or the following Monday if the public holiday falls on a weekend, unless «unusual business conditions exist, such as. the end of a monthly or annual accounting period. “

Write to Logan Moore at logan.moore@barrons.com