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The stock market close has traditionally been at 4 pm New York Time. A closing bell was sounded, signaling the official stock market close and the end of the trading day. Today the stock market close is not so cut-and-dried. After-hours trading in many issues extends the market day and places a question mark as to the exact time of the stock market close. Still, most issues use the official 4 pm stock market close to set their closing price which is used to establish end-of-day portfolio values and for many other uses. As markets move ever closer to a twenty-four hour trading day the stock market close is becoming ever more cloudy. How much relevance the stock market close will have in years to come remains to be seen, but for now the traditionalists still mark the stock market close as 4 pm New York Time. |
