UAE Market Close Today: DFM, ADX and Nasdaq Dubai Hours
If you're trying to figure out what time the market closes today in the UAE, the answer depends on which exchange you're trading on — and whether it's a regular weekday, a Friday, or a public holiday. Here's the straight version.
Quick Answer
On a regular trading day, the UAE stock markets close at 3:00 PM Gulf Standard Time (GST, UTC+4). That applies to the Dubai Financial Market (DFM), the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX), and Nasdaq Dubai. The markets trade Monday to Friday. Fridays follow a shorter schedule — trading typically wraps by 2:00 PM to accommodate Jumu'ah prayers. On public holidays announced by the UAE Cabinet or the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA), the exchanges are closed entirely. Ramadan hours differ. Always check the exchange's own bulletin for same-day confirmation.
Standard Closing Times By Exchange
The three main venues run on nearly identical hours, but each publishes its own schedule.
Dubai Financial Market (DFM). Continuous trading runs 10:00 AM to 2:50 PM, with a closing auction from 2:50 to 3:00 PM. Final close: 3:00 PM GST.[1]
Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX). Same core window — 10:00 AM open, 3:00 PM close, with a pre-open session starting at 9:30 AM.[2]
Nasdaq Dubai. Equities trade 10:00 AM to 2:50 PM continuous, with a 2:50–3:00 PM closing auction. Derivatives run longer, until 5:15 PM for some contracts.[3]
Friday is the shortened day. DFM and ADX both close their continuous session earlier — usually around 1:45 PM with a closing auction ending by 2:00 PM. This shift came in after the UAE moved to a Monday–Friday working week in January 2022.
When The Market Closes Early Or Not At All
Public holidays flatten the schedule to zero. Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, Islamic New Year, Prophet Muhammad's Birthday, Commemoration Day (1 December), and UAE National Day (2–3 December) all shut the exchanges. The SCA and each exchange publish the annual holiday calendar in December for the following year, and adjust for moon-sighting where relevant.[4]
During Ramadan, trading hours compress. Historically the DFM and ADX have run 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM Monday–Thursday and 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM on Friday during the holy month. The exact Ramadan schedule is announced by each exchange a few days before the month starts.
One thing most retail traders miss: the closing auction price — set in that final 10-minute window — is what your broker uses as the official closing price for settlement, margin calls, and index calculations. If you're placing a market-on-close order, that's the print you're getting.
What "Market Close" Means For Your Order
If you enter an order after 3:00 PM on a regular day, it queues for the next session's pre-open. Trades executed in the closing auction settle on a T+2 basis under SCA settlement rules — cash and securities move two business days after execution.[5]
For dividend eligibility, the record date is set relative to the ex-dividend date announced by the issuer. If you hold shares at the market close today and it's the day before the ex-date, you're entitled to the dividend. Sell during today's session and you're not. This catches people out every dividend season.
Foreign investors trading through the DFM or ADX face the same closing times but should confirm their broker's cut-off — many international brokers stop accepting UAE orders 15 to 30 minutes before the actual market close today to allow for routing.
Where To Check Same-Day Status
Don't rely on last year's calendar. Same-day confirmation lives in three places:
- The DFM website's "Market Watch" ticker (dfm.ae)
- The ADX homepage announcement bar (adx.ae)
- The SCA official holiday circulars (sca.gov.ae)
Brokers licensed by the SCA are required to notify clients of trading halts and schedule changes. If yours doesn't, that's a service problem worth raising.
For related regulatory questions on how listed securities are governed in the UAE, see our overview of civil and commercial law.
Need this checked for your situation? Talk to a UAE-licensed lawyer →
Citations
- [1] Dubai Financial Market, "Trading Hours & Sessions," dfm.ae. ⚠
- [2] Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, "Trading Calendar & Sessions," adx.ae. ⚠
- [3] Nasdaq Dubai, "Trading Hours," nasdaqdubai.com. ⚠
- [4] Securities and Commodities Authority, Annual Holiday Circulars, sca.gov.ae. ⚠
- [5] SCA Board Decision on Clearing, Settlement and Depository of Securities. ⚠
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