Understanding the Stock Market Timings in India: There are two major stock exchanges in India to trade in stocks: The Bombay stock exchange (BSE) and the National stock exchange (NSE). The timing of both BSE & NSE for the trading clock is the same.
For a quick answer, the stock market timings in India for normal trading in the equity market is between 9:15 am to 03:30 pm, Monday to Friday, without any lunch or tea break. This means that you can buy or sell your stocks on BSE or NSE at any time between this trading time period.
Further, please also note that the trading timing for the commodity market is different and longer. In addition, the stock market timings in India is also divided into different segments (Opening session, normal session, and closing session) that we’ll discuss in detail in this post. Let’s get started!!
Table of Contents
Stock Market Timings in India
First of all, you need to know that the stock market in India works only five days (Monday-Friday) and is closed on weekends i.e. Saturday and Sunday. Further, the markets are also closed on national holidays like Republic Day, Independence Day, Gandhi Jayanti, etc. You can find the list of the holidays of the stock exchange here: NSE India
- The normal trading time for the Equity market is between 09:15 am to 03:30 PM, Monday to Friday.
- The trading time for the commodity (Non-Agri) market (like Gold, Silver, Crude, etc) on MCX and NCDEX exchange is between 10:00 AM to 11:30 PM, Monday to Friday.
- The normal trading time for commodities (Agri) like Cotton, CPO, SYOREF, etc market is between 10:00 AM to 05:00 PM, Monday to Friday. (Source: McxIndia)
Now, there is continuous trading by traders and investors in this time period. This means that there is no lunch break or tea break in the Indian stock market timings, unlike banks or other government/private offices.
Different Segments of Stock Market Timings in India
The timings of the Indian stock market are divided into three sessions:
- Normal Session (also called a continuous session)
- Pre-opening session
- Post-closing session
Now, let us discuss all these sessions to further understand their importance in the stock market timings in India.
Pre-Opening Session
The duration of the Pre-opening session is between 9:00 AM to 9:15 AM i.e. before the Normal trading session. This is further divided into three sub-sessions.
- 9:00 AM to 9:08 AM:
- This is the order entry session.
- You can place an order to buy and sell stocks in this duration.
- One can also modify or cancel his orders during this period.
- 9:08 AM to 9:12 AM:
- This session is used for order matching and for calculating the opening price of the normal session.
- You cannot modify or cancel the buy/sell order during this time.
- 9:12 AM to 9:15 AM:
- This session is used as a buffer period.
- It is used for the smooth translation of the pre-opening session to the normal session.
The opening price of the normal session is calculated using a multilateral order matching system. Earlier, a bilateral matching system was used which caused a lot of volatility when the market opened. Later, this was changed to a multilateral order-matching system to reduce the volatility in the market.
ALSO READ: (How Pre-Opening prices of stocks are calculated here)Anyways, most traders and investors do not use the pre-opening session and only use the normal session for trading. That’s why there is still huge volatility even in the normal session after the pre-opening session.
Normal Trading Session
Basically, this is the trading session or stock market timings that everyone should know.
- The normal trading session is the actual time when most of the trading takes place.
- Its duration is between 9:15 AM to 3:30 PM.
- You can buy and sell stocks in this session.
- The normal trading session follows a bilateral matching session i.e. whenever the buying price is equal to the selling price, the transaction is complete. Here transactions are as per price and time priority.
Closing Session/ Closing Price Calculation Session
The time between 3:30 PM to 3:40 PM is used for closing price calculation.
- The closing price of a stock is the weighted average of the prices between 3:00 PM to 3:30 PM.
- For the indexes like Sensex & nifty, its closing price is the weighted average of the constituent stocks for the last 30 minutes i.e. Between 3:00 PM to 3:30 PM.
Post-Closing Session
Finally comes the 20 minutes session of the post-closing session.
- The duration of the Post-closing session is between 3:40 PM to 4:00 PM.
- You can place orders to buy or sell stocks in the post-closing session at the closing price. If buyers/sellers are available then your trade will be confirmed at the closing price.
NOTE: Pre-opening session and the Post-closing session is only for the cash market. There are no such sessions for the future & options trading.
In addition, you can also watch this video to further understand the stock market timings in India:
Summary of Different Sessions of Stock Market Timings in India
Overall, the stock market timings in India and its different sessions can be briefed as:
| Timings | Particular |
|---|---|
| 9:00 AM to 9:15 AM | Pre-Opening Session |
| 9:15 AM to 3:30 PM | Normal Trading Session |
| 3:30 PM to 3:40 PM | Closing Price Calculation Session |
| 3:40 PM to 4:00 PM | Post-Closing Session |
(Pic credit: BSE India)
In addition, if you are unable to trade between these time periods, you can place an AMO (Aftermarket order). There is no actual trading here but you can place your buy or sell order.
MCX Timings – Commodity Trading Timings
For the MCX and NCDEX Commodity Exchange, here are the commodity trading timings
- The trading time for the commodity (Non-Agri) market (like Gold, Silver, Crude, etc) is between 10:00 AM to 11:30 PM, Monday to Friday.
- The normal trading time for commodity (Agri) like Cotton, CPO, SYOREF, etc market is between 10:00 AM to 05:00 PM, Monday to Friday. (Source: McxIndia)
| Particulars | Trades | Trade Start Time | Trade End Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-Agri Commodities | Gold, Silver, Crude etc | 09.00 AM | 11.30 PM |
| Agri Commodities | Cotton, CPO, SYOREF etc | 09.00 AM | 05.00 PM |
Note: Pre-open session for cancellation of orders with GTC/ GTD validity will commence 15 minutes prior to trade start time.
Special Trading Session – Muhurat Trading
The Indian stock market also opens a special trading session during Diwali, the festival of light which marks the start of a new Samvat. This is known as ‘Muhurat Trading’ or ‘Samvat trading’. Its exact trading time is declared a few days before Diwali.
However, Muhurat Trading timings are not similar to normal trading and are traded in the evening and only for an hour. For the rest day, the market is closed.
Bonus Section for Stock Market Beginners
By the way, if you are new to investing and want to learn how to start investing in the Indian stock market, check out this video for beginners. Here I have explained the step-by-step process for beginners to start investing in stocks. And I’m sure it will be helpful to you!
Quick Note: Looking for the best Demat and Trading account to start your investing journey? Click here to open your account with the No 1 Stockbroker in India — Zero Brokerage on Equity Delivery/ Long term investments in stocks and mutual funds, Paperless online account opening. Start Now!!
That’s all. I hope this post on the ‘Stock Market Timings in India‘ is helpful to the readers.
If you have any doubts regarding the Indian stock market timings, feel free to comment below. I will be happy to help you. Happy Trading & Investing!
Kritesh (Tweet here) is the Founder & CEO of Trade Brains & FinGrad. He is an NSE Certified Equity Fundamental Analyst with +7 Years of Experience in Share Market Investing. Kritesh frequently writes about Share Market Investing and IPOs and publishes his personal insights on the market.
At the well same r it could hv changing , time to time
Stock market timing is same for the 5 trading days from Mon-to-Friday.
Very first line of article is not correct.
Thanks for mentioning. I rectified it. Appreciate your comment.
I purchased 70 stock at 710 rs evening 7:45pm market trade. How the rate ?
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Hi, Kritesh,
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But there is small typing mistake,
please do needful
-The trading time for commodity (MCX) market is between 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM, Monday to Friday.
(Please correct it and make 10:00 AM to 11:30 PM)
Thanks
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I have a doubt. A share which is closed by Rs.200 at the end of the day and If I am placing an order of that share, in the closing time rate only will be fixed or how is the price decided ?
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Informative article Sir. I have been investing for the last 5-6 years and earning a good profit. However, I want to try my hand at trading as well. I have a 10 to 7 job and my timings wont match with Indian share markets. So, what are the possibilities for me… will Commodity trading or Currency trading be a good option?
I will be glad to get a reply Sir.
Hi Kritesh,
Very informative article on trading session timings. Need clarification as to what are session 1 and session 2 prices on commodities traded on MCX? As far as my knowledge goes it is from 10 AM to 11.30 PM. Please do clarify.
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Hello Kritesh,
I had few doubts on stock market timings in India. But fortunately I jumped over here and got all the information about that. Thanks dude!!
Keep up the good work.
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Any tips for finding better stocks.
Thanks! Kritesh,
It’s a grateful article about stock market timing in India. I read every line from top to bottom and learned a lot of new things. After reading this article I bookmark your blog for future knowledge.
By the way, I have a question, how to buy a non-listed company’s share like CSK? Please give some information about it.
Regards!
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Pre-open session: The pre-open session starts at 9:00 am and ends at 9:15 am. During this session, investors can place orders to buy or sell stocks.
Regular trading session: The regular trading session starts at 9:15 am and ends at 3:30 pm. During this session, investors can buy and sell stocks at the prevailing market prices.
Closing session: The closing session starts at 3:30 pm and ends at 3:40 pm. During this session, investors can place orders to square off their positions or adjust their orders.
Call auction session: The call auction session starts at 3:40 pm and ends at 4:00 pm. During this session, the market is in a price discovery mode and investors can place orders to buy or sell stocks at the equilibrium price.
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