The U.S. stock markets will be closed Wednesday, Dec. 5 in honor of former President George H.W. Bush, who died Friday night at the age of 94. Wednesday will be deemed a day of mourning with major indexes like the New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq Composite and the bond markets closed.
On Saturday, President Donald Trump declared Wednesday, December 5 a national day of mourning for the country’s 41st president with the White House noting in a statement that “He and the First Lady will attend the funeral at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.”
On Monday, the New York Stock Exchange paid tribute to the former president with a moment of silence and a single strike of the NYSE bell.
“We remember President Bush admiringly as a veteran who fought totalitarianism, a statesman who advocated for freedom, a leader who served his country, and an unabashedly dedicated family man,” Stacey Cunningham, NYSE Group President, said in a statement.
The NYSE will suspend normal trading as will the Nasdaq Composite and futures exchange CME Group. The last time the stock markets were closed in observance of a president’s death was in Jan. 2, 2007 for former President Gerald Ford.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of President George H.W. Bush,” said CME Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Terry Duffy, in a news release.