The New York Stock Exchange will be closed on Monday and provisionally on Tuesday as a safety precaution as the city prepares for the arrival of Hurricane Sandy.
The exchange said the hurricane would “make it extremely difficult to ensure the safety of our people”.
The technology-heavy Nasdaq exchange will also close on Monday.
This is the first time in 27 years the stock markets have closed for a full day due to adverse weather.
In September 1985, Hurricane Gloria forced a market shutdown.
Hundreds of thousands of people in the city have been ordered to leave their homes as the storm approaches.
Air France, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have also grounded all flights to East Coast cities.
‘Extremely difficult’
“In consultation with other exchanges and market participants, NYSE Euronext will close its markets on Monday, 29 October, 2012 and pending confirmation on Tuesday, 30 October, 2012,” the exchange said in statement.
“We support the consensus of the markets and the regulatory community that the dangerous conditions developing as a result of Hurricane Sandy will make it extremely difficult to ensure the safety of our people and communities, and safety must be our first priority.
“We will work with the industry to determine the next steps in restoring trading as soon as the situation permits.”
Nasdaq said it had made the decision to close “in consultation with other US exchanges, government officials and regulators – including the Securities and Exchange Commission.
“The continuity of our markets and a variety of factors related to Hurricane Sandy’s movement up the Eastern Seaboard were considered, including the state of emergencies declared by New York City, New York State and other state and local governments.”
The East Coast is bracing itself for winds of 75mph and a potential “life-threatening” flood to the Mid-Atlantic coast.
Several states have declared emergencies, with tens of millions of people affected as schools are closed and transport services suspended.
States of emergency have been declared in Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington DC and a coastal county in North Carolina.
BBC
