Stock Market Holidays in India 2026 — Complete NSE/BSE Trading Calendar

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In short: Indian stock markets (NSE and BSE) observe approximately 14 trading holidays in 2026, plus all Saturdays and Sundays. The calendar follows India’s national holidays plus financial-market-specific closures like the Muhurat trading day on Diwali (a 1-hour symbolic session). Normal trading hours: 9:15 AM to 3:30 PM IST. Pre-open: 9:00-9:08 AM. Post-close: 3:40-4:00 PM. This guide lists every 2026 trading holiday for NSE/BSE equity and derivatives, plus commodity market (MCX) closures, and explains the Muhurat tradition.

NSE/BSE Equity & Derivatives Holidays 2026

Indian stock exchanges remain closed on these days in 2026:

Note: Exact 2026 holiday list is finalised by NSE/BSE circulars typically released in late December 2025. Some dates depend on lunar calendar sightings (Eids especially) and can shift by 1-2 days. Always check the official NSE holiday list before planning trades around year-end or month-end.

Muhurat Trading — Diwali’s symbolic session

The most unique tradition on the Indian stock-market calendar. On Diwali Laxmi Pujan day (in 2026: October 20), the exchanges remain closed for normal trading but open for a 1-hour symbolic “Muhurat” session in the evening — typically 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM IST.

The session is purely symbolic — meant to invoke prosperity for the new Vikram Samvat year (Hindu calendar). Trading is light but participation is voluntary. Many traders place a token small buy of a stock they believe in for the year, as an auspicious start.

Historical interest:

• Pre-open (Muhurat): typically 6:00 PM – 6:08 PM
• Trading: 6:15 PM – 7:15 PM (varies year to year by 30-60 minutes)
• Post-close: 7:25 PM – 7:35 PM

NSE and BSE announce the exact Muhurat session timings 7-10 days in advance.

Settlement holidays vs trading holidays

An important distinction:

• Trading holiday: Markets closed for buy/sell orders. No price discovery, no transactions.
• Settlement holiday: Banks closed for clearing. Affects T+1 settlement timing — a trade placed Friday will settle Tuesday if Monday is a settlement holiday but trading day, for example.

Most national holidays are both trading and settlement holidays. Occasionally one happens without the other (e.g., regional state holidays affecting only banking, not trading).

Saturday and Sunday markets

Indian stock exchanges are closed every Saturday and Sunday. The Indian market is a 5-day week — Monday to Friday.

Exceptions:

• The exchanges have occasionally held special trading sessions on Saturdays during Budget Day (when Budget falls on a Saturday, in some years). The most recent was February 1, 2020.
• Muhurat session — happens on a national holiday (Diwali Laxmi Pujan)

Commodity Markets (MCX) holidays

The Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) follows a slightly different calendar. MCX has two sessions:

• Morning: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM IST
• Evening: 5:00 PM – 11:30/11:55 PM IST (varies by daylight savings in commodity-producing countries)

MCX observes most NSE/BSE holidays plus a few additional ones (typically Republic Day, Independence Day, Gandhi Jayanti). On many “half-holidays” — MCX may have only morning or only evening session.

NSE IX / GIFT Nifty trading hours

The NSE International Exchange (in GIFT City, Gandhinagar) trades GIFT Nifty (the USD-denominated Nifty 50 futures). GIFT Nifty trading hours are dramatically longer:

• Session 1: 6:30 AM – 3:40 PM IST
• Break: 3:40 PM – 4:35 PM
• Session 2: 4:35 PM – 2:45 AM IST (next day)

Total: about 21 hours daily, Monday to Friday. GIFT Nifty observes its own holiday calendar (different from NSE/BSE domestic equity).

How to plan trades around holidays

Settlement timing

India runs T+1 settlement (since January 2023). A trade placed on Monday settles on Tuesday. If you sell on Friday, the money credits Monday. But if Monday is a holiday, money credits Tuesday.

For SIP / mutual fund redemptions and trades around month-end, holiday positioning matters. A SIP scheduled for the 1st of the month auto-shifts to the next trading day if the 1st is a holiday.

Dividend record dates

When a company announces a dividend with record date on a non-trading day, the actual record date adjusts to the previous trading day. Plan stock purchases to be settled (T+1) by the working record date.

Position management around long holidays

The market reopening after a 3+ day break (e.g., Diwali sometimes creates 4-5 days off when combined with weekends) often has gap moves at open — global news that accumulated during closure gets priced in instantly. This is the riskiest moment for short-term traders.

Two practical responses:

• Conservative: Reduce open intraday/F&O positions before long holidays
• Aggressive: Use overnight position sizing rules (cap exposure to single names)

Special trading days

Apart from regular trading days and Muhurat:

Budget Day

Markets are open on Budget Day (usually February 1) regardless of day of week. Volume and volatility surge during 11 AM – 1 PM as the Finance Minister presents the budget. If Budget falls on a Saturday, exchanges hold a special trading session that day (most recent: February 1, 2020).

Result-Day announcements

Quarterly result announcements happen on regular trading days — there’s no special “results day.” Companies file results either before market open (8:00-9:15 AM) or after market close (after 3:30 PM). News-driven volatility shows in next-session opening price.

Why holiday calendars matter for retail investors

Mostly for three reasons:

1. SIP scheduling: Schedule SIPs for a date that’s typically a trading day (1st-15th of month is safer than 28th-31st where overlaps with month-end holidays can defer execution).
2. Dividend planning: If buying a stock for dividend qualification, ensure T+1 settlement lands before the actual record date considering holidays.
3. F&O expiry: Weekly options expire Thursday; if Thursday is a holiday, expiry shifts to Wednesday. Lower-than-usual liquidity on Wednesday-expiry weeks.

How to stay updated

• Official NSE holiday list: nseindia.com publishes the annual calendar in December
• Official BSE holiday list: bseindia.com
• Your broker app: Most apps (Zerodha, Dhan, Groww) show next-trading-day information in the home screen during holidays
• Market chat: financial websites (Money Control, Bloomberg Quint, Mint) publish holiday calendars every December for the coming year

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my SIP run on a market holiday?

If your SIP date falls on a holiday, the SIP automatically executes on the next trading day. For mutual funds, the NAV used is that of the next trading day. For stock SIPs (in direct stocks), the purchase happens at the next day’s market open.

Can I place orders on holidays?

You can place “AMO” (After Market Order) orders for next-day execution. The order goes into queue and executes when market reopens. Most brokers accept AMO orders 24/7.

What happens to F&O contracts on holidays?

F&O contracts don’t trade on holidays — they don’t lose value, but no transactions happen. If a contract is about to expire and expiry day is a holiday, expiry shifts to the previous working day.

Is Muhurat session worth participating in?

Liquidity is low. Volumes are 5-15% of normal trading session. Don’t expect efficient pricing. Most retail traders place a symbolic ₹1,000-5,000 purchase as cultural tradition rather than as serious trading.

Are commodity markets open longer than equity markets?

Yes. MCX commodity market trades from 9 AM to 11:30/11:55 PM, allowing exposure to global commodity-price moves (especially gold, silver, crude oil) that happen after Indian equity markets close.

Does NSE follow same holidays as BSE?

Yes, virtually always. Both exchanges align their holiday calendars to reflect the same national/regional holidays. There’s no practical case where NSE is open but BSE is closed (or vice versa).

How many trading days are there in India per year?

Approximately 248-252 trading days per year. (365 days minus 104 Saturdays/Sundays minus 12-15 trading holidays.)

Sources & Further Reading