2008 New Year's Day January 1 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day January 21 Washington's Birthday/Presidents' Day* February 18* Good Friday March 21 Memorial Day May 26 Independence Day† July 4† Labor Day September 1 Thanksgiving Day† November 27† Christmas† December 25† Washington's Birthday was first declared a federal holiday by an 1879 act of Congress. The Monday Holiday Law, enacted in 1968, shifted the date of the commemoration of Washington's Birthday from February 22 to the third Monday in February, but neither that law nor any subsequent law changed the name of the holiday from Washington's Birthday to President's Day. Although the third Monday in February has become popularly known as President's Day, the NYSE's designation of Washington's Birthday as an Exchange holiday (Rule 51) follows the form of the federal holiday outlined above (section 6103(a) of title 5 of the United States Code). Back to top †The NYSE Trading Floor will close early on Thursday, July 3, 2008; Friday, November 28, 2008 (the day after Thanksgiving); and Wednesday, December 24, 2008. The Trading Floor will close at 1:00 p.m. Crossing Session I order entry will begin at 1:15 p.m. with order executions at 1:30 p.m., and Crossing Sessions II, III and IV orders will be accepted beginning at 1:00 p.m. for continuous executions until 1:30 p.m. on these dates. Back to top **The NYSE Trading Floor will close early on Friday, November 27, 2009 (the day after Thanksgiving) and Thursday, December 24, 2009 . The Trading Floor will close at 1:00 p.m. Crossing Session I order entry will begin at 1:15 p.m. with order executions at 1:30 p.m., and Crossing Sessions II, III and IV orders will be accepted beginning at 1:00 p.m. for continuous executions until 1:30 p.m. on these dates. Back to top