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Options 101
Holiday and Shortened-Session Options Schedule
The options calendar bends around holidays — expirations shift, half-days close early, and thin sessions distort everything. Here’s what to check.
NoVo Options Trading · 2026
Educational only, not tax, legal, or financial advice. Rules vary by broker and situation — verify specifics with your broker or a professional.
Market holidays and half-days shift the options calendar — some days have no 0DTE, and half-days close early. Knowing the schedule around holidays saves you from surprises.
How holidays affect the schedule
On full market holidays, there’s no trading and no expiration — the calendar shifts. On half-days (e.g. the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, July 3rd), the market closes early (usually 1pm ET), so any 0DTE that day expires at the shortened close, with thinner liquidity. Always confirm whether a given day even has a same-day expiration.
Why it matters
Beyond the timing shift, holiday-adjacent sessions are thin and distorted — wide spreads, warped levels, and compressed time. A 0DTE on a half-day faces accelerated decay into an earlier close. And the days around holidays can carry unusual seasonal behavior. Check the exchange calendar so an early close or missing expiration doesn’t catch you holding.
The options calendar isn’t Monday-to-Friday clockwork around holidays — expirations shift and half-days close early. Check before you trade the week.
What it means for a scalper
Around holidays: verify the schedule, expect thin, distorted tape, and factor the early close into 0DTE decay. Many scalpers simply sit out the worst holiday half-days — low edge, poor liquidity. Know the calendar; trade the good sessions.
More on this: The Half-Day Session Playbook: Trading the Shortened Pre-Holiday Tape
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NoVo is a software tool for market analysis and for executing trades you initiate, not financial advice. This article is general education, not investment advice. Options trading involves substantial risk of loss, up to and including your entire capital. NoVo makes no guarantee of profit, win rate, or performance, and past results do not predict future outcomes. You are responsible for your own broker account, configuration, and trading decisions.