Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving in the U.S., has a reputation as one of the busiest shopping days of the year.The unofficial holiday is traditionally a time when retailers can capitalize on a wave of enthusiasm,

Here's what you need to know about whether U.S. stock markets will be open or closed on Black Friday this year.

Dating back a century, the week of Thanksgiving and the stretch through New Year’s tends to be positive for stocks.

The major indexes fell before the Thanksgiving holiday due some tech turkeys, but came off lows. Nvidia stock fought back to hold key support.

Asian shares are mixed after U.S. markets were closed for the Thanksgiving holiday. The yen gained against the dollar.

Yes, Thanksgiving is Thursday. The holiday has been recognized by the federal government since 1870, though President Abraham Lincoln encouraged Americans to recognize a November “day of Thanksgiving” in 1863, and President George Washington issued a proclamation for “a day of public thanksgiving and prayer” on Nov. 26, 1789.

Thursday: U.S. markets are closed for the Thanksgiving holiday. Friday: Markets close early in the U.S. The stock market closes at 1 p.m., while bond markets are slated to shut down an hour later. Black Friday marks the start of the holiday shopping season.

Stocks looked set to gain on Friday ahead of a shortened half day of trading on Black Friday. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 132 points, or 0.3%. Contracts tied to the S&P 500 also rose 0.