2026 Market Catalyst Calendar

Every pre-scheduled date that moves US stocks this year — all 8 FOMC decisions, every monthly and quad-witching expiry, all 24 short-interest publication dates, and every market holiday and 1 pm early close. 60 dated events, each one linked to the primary source it came from. Free, no signup.

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📅 Download the .ics (add to Google/Apple Calendar) JSON

The .ics imports all 60 events as all-day entries with the source URL in the description. CC BY 4.0 — reuse it, just credit this page.

What is left in 2026 (25 events)

DateETTypeEventSrc
Fri 21 Aug16:00ExpiryMonthly option expiration (OPEX) derived
Standard monthly equity and index options expire. Pinning and elevated closing volume are normal. DERIVED from the standard third-Friday expiration rule.
source
Tue 25 AugShort interestShort interest published
FINRA/exchange publication of short interest as of the 2026-08-14 settlement date. The number you read is already 11 days stale on the day it prints — that lag is the single most misunderstood thing about squeeze setups.
source
Mon 7 SepclosedSessionMarket closed — Labor Day
NYSE and Nasdaq closed for the full session. Note that news does not stop: filings, foreign markets and company releases still land, and they gap the open on the next session.
source
Thu 10 SepShort interestShort interest published
FINRA/exchange publication of short interest as of the 2026-08-31 settlement date. The number you read is already 10 days stale on the day it prints — that lag is the single most misunderstood thing about squeeze setups.
source
Wed 16 Sep14:00FOMCFOMC rate decision + dot plot
Two-day meeting 2026-09-15 to 2026-09-16. Statement 2:00 pm ET, Chair press conference 2:30 pm ET. Summary of Economic Projections (the dot plot) is released with this decision — historically the higher-volatility half of the eight.
source
Fri 18 Sep16:00ExpiryQuadruple witching derived
Stock-index futures, index options, single-stock options and single-stock futures all expire the same day. Volume concentrates into the close; the largest scheduled non-news volume day of the quarter. DERIVED from the standard third-Friday expiration rule, not quoted from a calendar page.
source
Fri 18 Sep16:00IndexS&P index quarterly rebalance takes effect derived
S&P Dow Jones Indices runs its quarterly share/float rebalance effective at this quarterly rebalancing date, which is why quad witching closes are so heavy — index funds must trade the print. DERIVED from published methodology; confirm the exact effective date against the index's own rebalance announcement.
source
Thu 24 SepShort interestShort interest published
FINRA/exchange publication of short interest as of the 2026-09-15 settlement date. The number you read is already 9 days stale on the day it prints — that lag is the single most misunderstood thing about squeeze setups.
source
Fri 9 OctShort interestShort interest published
FINRA/exchange publication of short interest as of the 2026-09-30 settlement date. The number you read is already 9 days stale on the day it prints — that lag is the single most misunderstood thing about squeeze setups.
source
Fri 16 Oct16:00ExpiryMonthly option expiration (OPEX) derived
Standard monthly equity and index options expire. Pinning and elevated closing volume are normal. DERIVED from the standard third-Friday expiration rule.
source
Mon 26 OctShort interestShort interest published
FINRA/exchange publication of short interest as of the 2026-10-15 settlement date. The number you read is already 11 days stale on the day it prints — that lag is the single most misunderstood thing about squeeze setups.
source
Wed 28 Oct14:00FOMCFOMC rate decision
Two-day meeting 2026-10-27 to 2026-10-28. Statement 2:00 pm ET, Chair press conference 2:30 pm ET.
source
Tue 10 NovShort interestShort interest published
FINRA/exchange publication of short interest as of the 2026-10-30 settlement date. The number you read is already 11 days stale on the day it prints — that lag is the single most misunderstood thing about squeeze setups.
source
Fri 20 Nov16:00ExpiryMonthly option expiration (OPEX) derived
Standard monthly equity and index options expire. Pinning and elevated closing volume are normal. DERIVED from the standard third-Friday expiration rule.
source
Tue 24 NovShort interestShort interest published
FINRA/exchange publication of short interest as of the 2026-11-13 settlement date. The number you read is already 11 days stale on the day it prints — that lag is the single most misunderstood thing about squeeze setups.
source
Thu 26 NovclosedSessionMarket closed — Thanksgiving Day
NYSE and Nasdaq closed for the full session. Note that news does not stop: filings, foreign markets and company releases still land, and they gap the open on the next session.
source
Fri 27 Nov13:00SessionEarly close 1:00 pm ET — Day after Thanksgiving
US equity markets close at 1:00 pm ET. Thin books, wide spreads, and an unusually large share of the day's news arrives after the close.
source
Wed 9 Dec14:00FOMCFOMC rate decision + dot plot
Two-day meeting 2026-12-08 to 2026-12-09. Statement 2:00 pm ET, Chair press conference 2:30 pm ET. Summary of Economic Projections (the dot plot) is released with this decision — historically the higher-volatility half of the eight.
source
Wed 9 DecShort interestShort interest published
FINRA/exchange publication of short interest as of the 2026-11-30 settlement date. The number you read is already 9 days stale on the day it prints — that lag is the single most misunderstood thing about squeeze setups.
source
Fri 18 Dec16:00ExpiryQuadruple witching derived
Stock-index futures, index options, single-stock options and single-stock futures all expire the same day. Volume concentrates into the close; the largest scheduled non-news volume day of the quarter. DERIVED from the standard third-Friday expiration rule, not quoted from a calendar page.
source
Fri 18 Dec16:00IndexS&P index quarterly rebalance takes effect derived
S&P Dow Jones Indices runs its quarterly share/float rebalance effective at this quarterly rebalancing date, which is why quad witching closes are so heavy — index funds must trade the print. DERIVED from published methodology; confirm the exact effective date against the index's own rebalance announcement.
source
Thu 24 Dec13:00SessionEarly close 1:00 pm ET — Christmas Eve
US equity markets close at 1:00 pm ET. Thin books, wide spreads, and an unusually large share of the day's news arrives after the close.
source
Thu 24 DecShort interestShort interest published
FINRA/exchange publication of short interest as of the 2026-12-15 settlement date. The number you read is already 9 days stale on the day it prints — that lag is the single most misunderstood thing about squeeze setups.
source
Fri 25 DecclosedSessionMarket closed — Christmas Day
NYSE and Nasdaq closed for the full session. Note that news does not stop: filings, foreign markets and company releases still land, and they gap the open on the next session.
source
Tue 12 JanShort interestShort interest published
FINRA/exchange publication of short interest as of the 2026-12-31 settlement date. The number you read is already 12 days stale on the day it prints — that lag is the single most misunderstood thing about squeeze setups.
source

The calendar is only half the tape

Everything above is knowable weeks in advance, which is exactly why none of it is an edge on its own — the whole market has the same list. The moves that actually reprice a single stock are the ones with no date attached: an 8-K at 4:03 pm, a guidance cut, an FDA letter, a halt, a deal leak, a downgrade hitting the wire before it hits your app.

That half needs a feed rather than a calendar. Top Tier Newswire aggregates 40+ sources into one tape with sub-2-second latency, sentiment tagging and per-ticker watchlists — free tier for delayed access, Pro for real-time. Pair it with this calendar: the calendar tells you which days to be flat or hedged, the feed tells you what just happened.

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FOMC decisions — all 8 in 2026

Statement at 2:00 pm ET, press conference at 2:30 pm ET. Four of the eight carry the Summary of Economic Projections; those are the ones where the reaction most often extends into the following session rather than fading by the close.

DateETTypeEventSrc
Wed 28 Jan14:00FOMCFOMC rate decision
Two-day meeting 2026-01-27 to 2026-01-28. Statement 2:00 pm ET, Chair press conference 2:30 pm ET.
source
Wed 18 Mar14:00FOMCFOMC rate decision + dot plot
Two-day meeting 2026-03-17 to 2026-03-18. Statement 2:00 pm ET, Chair press conference 2:30 pm ET. Summary of Economic Projections (the dot plot) is released with this decision — historically the higher-volatility half of the eight.
source
Wed 29 Apr14:00FOMCFOMC rate decision
Two-day meeting 2026-04-28 to 2026-04-29. Statement 2:00 pm ET, Chair press conference 2:30 pm ET.
source
Wed 17 Jun14:00FOMCFOMC rate decision + dot plot
Two-day meeting 2026-06-16 to 2026-06-17. Statement 2:00 pm ET, Chair press conference 2:30 pm ET. Summary of Economic Projections (the dot plot) is released with this decision — historically the higher-volatility half of the eight.
source
Wed 29 Jul14:00FOMCFOMC rate decision
Two-day meeting 2026-07-28 to 2026-07-29. Statement 2:00 pm ET, Chair press conference 2:30 pm ET.
source
Wed 16 Sep14:00FOMCFOMC rate decision + dot plot
Two-day meeting 2026-09-15 to 2026-09-16. Statement 2:00 pm ET, Chair press conference 2:30 pm ET. Summary of Economic Projections (the dot plot) is released with this decision — historically the higher-volatility half of the eight.
source
Wed 28 Oct14:00FOMCFOMC rate decision
Two-day meeting 2026-10-27 to 2026-10-28. Statement 2:00 pm ET, Chair press conference 2:30 pm ET.
source
Wed 9 Dec14:00FOMCFOMC rate decision + dot plot
Two-day meeting 2026-12-08 to 2026-12-09. Statement 2:00 pm ET, Chair press conference 2:30 pm ET. Summary of Economic Projections (the dot plot) is released with this decision — historically the higher-volatility half of the eight.
source

Option expiries and index rebalances

Monthly OPEX is the third Friday of every month. When that Friday falls in March, June, September or December it is quadruple witching — index futures, index options, single-stock options and single-stock futures all expire at once, and the S&P quarterly rebalance goes effective around the same print, which is why the closing auction on those days is the heaviest scheduled volume event of the quarter.

Honesty note: these rows are derived from the published third-Friday rule, not copied from an exchange calendar page. The rule has held for decades but always confirm against the exchange calendar before trading a specific expiry.

DateETTypeEventSrc
Fri 16 Jan16:00ExpiryMonthly option expiration (OPEX) derived
Standard monthly equity and index options expire. Pinning and elevated closing volume are normal. DERIVED from the standard third-Friday expiration rule.
source
Fri 20 Feb16:00ExpiryMonthly option expiration (OPEX) derived
Standard monthly equity and index options expire. Pinning and elevated closing volume are normal. DERIVED from the standard third-Friday expiration rule.
source
Fri 20 Mar16:00ExpiryQuadruple witching derived
Stock-index futures, index options, single-stock options and single-stock futures all expire the same day. Volume concentrates into the close; the largest scheduled non-news volume day of the quarter. DERIVED from the standard third-Friday expiration rule, not quoted from a calendar page.
source
Fri 20 Mar16:00IndexS&P index quarterly rebalance takes effect derived
S&P Dow Jones Indices runs its quarterly share/float rebalance effective at this quarterly rebalancing date, which is why quad witching closes are so heavy — index funds must trade the print. DERIVED from published methodology; confirm the exact effective date against the index's own rebalance announcement.
source
Fri 17 Apr16:00ExpiryMonthly option expiration (OPEX) derived
Standard monthly equity and index options expire. Pinning and elevated closing volume are normal. DERIVED from the standard third-Friday expiration rule.
source
Fri 15 May16:00ExpiryMonthly option expiration (OPEX) derived
Standard monthly equity and index options expire. Pinning and elevated closing volume are normal. DERIVED from the standard third-Friday expiration rule.
source
Fri 19 Jun16:00ExpiryQuadruple witching derived
Stock-index futures, index options, single-stock options and single-stock futures all expire the same day. Volume concentrates into the close; the largest scheduled non-news volume day of the quarter. DERIVED from the standard third-Friday expiration rule, not quoted from a calendar page.
source
Fri 19 Jun16:00IndexS&P index quarterly rebalance takes effect derived
S&P Dow Jones Indices runs its quarterly share/float rebalance effective at this quarterly rebalancing date, which is why quad witching closes are so heavy — index funds must trade the print. DERIVED from published methodology; confirm the exact effective date against the index's own rebalance announcement.
source
Fri 17 Jul16:00ExpiryMonthly option expiration (OPEX) derived
Standard monthly equity and index options expire. Pinning and elevated closing volume are normal. DERIVED from the standard third-Friday expiration rule.
source
Fri 21 Aug16:00ExpiryMonthly option expiration (OPEX) derived
Standard monthly equity and index options expire. Pinning and elevated closing volume are normal. DERIVED from the standard third-Friday expiration rule.
source
Fri 18 Sep16:00ExpiryQuadruple witching derived
Stock-index futures, index options, single-stock options and single-stock futures all expire the same day. Volume concentrates into the close; the largest scheduled non-news volume day of the quarter. DERIVED from the standard third-Friday expiration rule, not quoted from a calendar page.
source
Fri 18 Sep16:00IndexS&P index quarterly rebalance takes effect derived
S&P Dow Jones Indices runs its quarterly share/float rebalance effective at this quarterly rebalancing date, which is why quad witching closes are so heavy — index funds must trade the print. DERIVED from published methodology; confirm the exact effective date against the index's own rebalance announcement.
source
Fri 16 Oct16:00ExpiryMonthly option expiration (OPEX) derived
Standard monthly equity and index options expire. Pinning and elevated closing volume are normal. DERIVED from the standard third-Friday expiration rule.
source
Fri 20 Nov16:00ExpiryMonthly option expiration (OPEX) derived
Standard monthly equity and index options expire. Pinning and elevated closing volume are normal. DERIVED from the standard third-Friday expiration rule.
source
Fri 18 Dec16:00ExpiryQuadruple witching derived
Stock-index futures, index options, single-stock options and single-stock futures all expire the same day. Volume concentrates into the close; the largest scheduled non-news volume day of the quarter. DERIVED from the standard third-Friday expiration rule, not quoted from a calendar page.
source
Fri 18 Dec16:00IndexS&P index quarterly rebalance takes effect derived
S&P Dow Jones Indices runs its quarterly share/float rebalance effective at this quarterly rebalancing date, which is why quad witching closes are so heavy — index funds must trade the print. DERIVED from published methodology; confirm the exact effective date against the index's own rebalance announcement.
source

Short interest publication dates — all 24

This is the table most retail traders have never seen, and it explains why squeeze narratives are usually built on stale data. FINRA collects positions as of a settlement date, firms report two business days later, and publication follows about a week after that. Every 2026 print is 8–12 calendar days behind the positioning it describes.

PublishedETTypeEventSrc
Tue 27 JanShort interestShort interest published
FINRA/exchange publication of short interest as of the 2026-01-15 settlement date. The number you read is already 12 days stale on the day it prints — that lag is the single most misunderstood thing about squeeze setups.
source
Tue 10 FebShort interestShort interest published
FINRA/exchange publication of short interest as of the 2026-01-30 settlement date. The number you read is already 11 days stale on the day it prints — that lag is the single most misunderstood thing about squeeze setups.
source
Wed 25 FebShort interestShort interest published
FINRA/exchange publication of short interest as of the 2026-02-13 settlement date. The number you read is already 12 days stale on the day it prints — that lag is the single most misunderstood thing about squeeze setups.
source
Tue 10 MarShort interestShort interest published
FINRA/exchange publication of short interest as of the 2026-02-27 settlement date. The number you read is already 11 days stale on the day it prints — that lag is the single most misunderstood thing about squeeze setups.
source
Tue 24 MarShort interestShort interest published
FINRA/exchange publication of short interest as of the 2026-03-13 settlement date. The number you read is already 11 days stale on the day it prints — that lag is the single most misunderstood thing about squeeze setups.
source
Fri 10 AprShort interestShort interest published
FINRA/exchange publication of short interest as of the 2026-03-31 settlement date. The number you read is already 10 days stale on the day it prints — that lag is the single most misunderstood thing about squeeze setups.
source
Fri 24 AprShort interestShort interest published
FINRA/exchange publication of short interest as of the 2026-04-15 settlement date. The number you read is already 9 days stale on the day it prints — that lag is the single most misunderstood thing about squeeze setups.
source
Mon 11 MayShort interestShort interest published
FINRA/exchange publication of short interest as of the 2026-04-30 settlement date. The number you read is already 11 days stale on the day it prints — that lag is the single most misunderstood thing about squeeze setups.
source
Wed 27 MayShort interestShort interest published
FINRA/exchange publication of short interest as of the 2026-05-15 settlement date. The number you read is already 12 days stale on the day it prints — that lag is the single most misunderstood thing about squeeze setups.
source
Tue 9 JunShort interestShort interest published
FINRA/exchange publication of short interest as of the 2026-05-29 settlement date. The number you read is already 11 days stale on the day it prints — that lag is the single most misunderstood thing about squeeze setups.
source
Thu 25 JunShort interestShort interest published
FINRA/exchange publication of short interest as of the 2026-06-15 settlement date. The number you read is already 10 days stale on the day it prints — that lag is the single most misunderstood thing about squeeze setups.
source
Fri 10 JulShort interestShort interest published
FINRA/exchange publication of short interest as of the 2026-06-30 settlement date. The number you read is already 10 days stale on the day it prints — that lag is the single most misunderstood thing about squeeze setups.
source
Fri 24 JulShort interestShort interest published
FINRA/exchange publication of short interest as of the 2026-07-15 settlement date. The number you read is already 9 days stale on the day it prints — that lag is the single most misunderstood thing about squeeze setups.
source
Tue 11 AugShort interestShort interest published
FINRA/exchange publication of short interest as of the 2026-07-31 settlement date. The number you read is already 11 days stale on the day it prints — that lag is the single most misunderstood thing about squeeze setups.
source
Tue 25 AugShort interestShort interest published
FINRA/exchange publication of short interest as of the 2026-08-14 settlement date. The number you read is already 11 days stale on the day it prints — that lag is the single most misunderstood thing about squeeze setups.
source
Thu 10 SepShort interestShort interest published
FINRA/exchange publication of short interest as of the 2026-08-31 settlement date. The number you read is already 10 days stale on the day it prints — that lag is the single most misunderstood thing about squeeze setups.
source
Thu 24 SepShort interestShort interest published
FINRA/exchange publication of short interest as of the 2026-09-15 settlement date. The number you read is already 9 days stale on the day it prints — that lag is the single most misunderstood thing about squeeze setups.
source
Fri 9 OctShort interestShort interest published
FINRA/exchange publication of short interest as of the 2026-09-30 settlement date. The number you read is already 9 days stale on the day it prints — that lag is the single most misunderstood thing about squeeze setups.
source
Mon 26 OctShort interestShort interest published
FINRA/exchange publication of short interest as of the 2026-10-15 settlement date. The number you read is already 11 days stale on the day it prints — that lag is the single most misunderstood thing about squeeze setups.
source
Tue 10 NovShort interestShort interest published
FINRA/exchange publication of short interest as of the 2026-10-30 settlement date. The number you read is already 11 days stale on the day it prints — that lag is the single most misunderstood thing about squeeze setups.
source
Tue 24 NovShort interestShort interest published
FINRA/exchange publication of short interest as of the 2026-11-13 settlement date. The number you read is already 11 days stale on the day it prints — that lag is the single most misunderstood thing about squeeze setups.
source
Wed 9 DecShort interestShort interest published
FINRA/exchange publication of short interest as of the 2026-11-30 settlement date. The number you read is already 9 days stale on the day it prints — that lag is the single most misunderstood thing about squeeze setups.
source
Thu 24 DecShort interestShort interest published
FINRA/exchange publication of short interest as of the 2026-12-15 settlement date. The number you read is already 9 days stale on the day it prints — that lag is the single most misunderstood thing about squeeze setups.
source
Tue 12 JanShort interestShort interest published
FINRA/exchange publication of short interest as of the 2026-12-31 settlement date. The number you read is already 12 days stale on the day it prints — that lag is the single most misunderstood thing about squeeze setups.
source

Market holidays and early closes

DateETTypeEventSrc
Thu 1 JanclosedSessionMarket closed — New Year's Day
NYSE and Nasdaq closed for the full session. Note that news does not stop: filings, foreign markets and company releases still land, and they gap the open on the next session.
source
Mon 19 JanclosedSessionMarket closed — Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
NYSE and Nasdaq closed for the full session. Note that news does not stop: filings, foreign markets and company releases still land, and they gap the open on the next session.
source
Mon 16 FebclosedSessionMarket closed — Washington's Birthday
NYSE and Nasdaq closed for the full session. Note that news does not stop: filings, foreign markets and company releases still land, and they gap the open on the next session.
source
Fri 3 AprclosedSessionMarket closed — Good Friday
NYSE and Nasdaq closed for the full session. Note that news does not stop: filings, foreign markets and company releases still land, and they gap the open on the next session.
source
Mon 25 MayclosedSessionMarket closed — Memorial Day
NYSE and Nasdaq closed for the full session. Note that news does not stop: filings, foreign markets and company releases still land, and they gap the open on the next session.
source
Fri 19 JunclosedSessionMarket closed — Juneteenth
NYSE and Nasdaq closed for the full session. Note that news does not stop: filings, foreign markets and company releases still land, and they gap the open on the next session.
source
Fri 3 Jul13:00SessionEarly close 1:00 pm ET — Independence Day (observed)
US equity markets close at 1:00 pm ET. Thin books, wide spreads, and an unusually large share of the day's news arrives after the close.
source
Mon 7 SepclosedSessionMarket closed — Labor Day
NYSE and Nasdaq closed for the full session. Note that news does not stop: filings, foreign markets and company releases still land, and they gap the open on the next session.
source
Thu 26 NovclosedSessionMarket closed — Thanksgiving Day
NYSE and Nasdaq closed for the full session. Note that news does not stop: filings, foreign markets and company releases still land, and they gap the open on the next session.
source
Fri 27 Nov13:00SessionEarly close 1:00 pm ET — Day after Thanksgiving
US equity markets close at 1:00 pm ET. Thin books, wide spreads, and an unusually large share of the day's news arrives after the close.
source
Thu 24 Dec13:00SessionEarly close 1:00 pm ET — Christmas Eve
US equity markets close at 1:00 pm ET. Thin books, wide spreads, and an unusually large share of the day's news arrives after the close.
source
Fri 25 DecclosedSessionMarket closed — Christmas Day
NYSE and Nasdaq closed for the full session. Note that news does not stop: filings, foreign markets and company releases still land, and they gap the open on the next session.
source

FAQ

When is the next FOMC meeting in 2026?

The remaining 2026 FOMC decisions are 16 September, 28 October and 9 December. Each statement lands at 2:00 pm ET with the Chair's press conference at 2:30 pm ET. September and December also carry the Summary of Economic Projections (the dot plot), which is the higher-volatility half of the eight meetings.

What are the 2026 quadruple witching dates?

The third Fridays of March, June, September and December: 20 March, 19 June, 18 September and 18 December 2026. All four expire together — index futures, index options, single-stock options and single-stock futures — which is why closing volume concentrates so hard on those prints.

When is short interest published in 2026?

Twice a month, roughly eight business days after the settlement date it describes. The remaining 2026 publication dates are 25 August, 10 September, 24 September, 9 October, 26 October, 10 November, 24 November, 9 December and 24 December. The important part: the 25 August print describes 14 August positioning, so it is already 11 days old the moment you read it.

What days is the US stock market closed in 2026?

Nine full closures: 1 January, 19 January, 16 February, 3 April (Good Friday), 25 May, 19 June, 7 September, 26 November and 25 December. Three 1:00 pm ET early closes: 3 July, 27 November and 24 December.

Which scheduled events actually move stocks the most?

Ranked by how reliably they produce an index-level move: FOMC decision days (especially the four with projections), quad witching closes, and CPI/payrolls mornings. Single-stock movement is dominated by earnings and by unscheduled news — 8-Ks, guidance changes, halts, M&A — which by definition do not appear on any calendar.

Sources, and what is not here

Deliberately excluded rather than guessed:

Not investment advice. Dates are as published by the primary sources above on 2026-08-13; exchanges and agencies do occasionally amend them, so confirm anything you are actually trading.