NSE and BSE equity trading: 09:15-15:30 IST, Monday, Friday
Equity trading on the National Stock Exchange and BSE opens at 09:15 IST and closes at 15:30 IST. This is the core cash-equity and derivatives session for Indian stocks.
Trading happens Monday through Friday only. Weekends and India public holidays are non-trading days.
The pre-open session (order entry, client code modification) begins at 09:00 IST. The post-close session for trade modifications runs from 15:30 to 15:45 IST.
MCX commodity trading: 09:00-23:30 IST with a break
The Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) trades commodities across a much longer day than equities.
- Morning session: 09:00-17:00 IST
- Evening session: 18:00-23:30 IST
The break between 17:00 and 18:00 is used for settlement and system maintenance. Bullion (gold, silver) and energy contracts (crude oil, natural gas) trade in both sessions. Agricultural commodities trade mainly in the morning.
Currency derivatives: 09:00-17:00 IST
Currency derivatives on NSE's forex platform trade from 09:00 to 17:00 IST, Monday through Friday. The INR/USD pair is the most traded.
The INR is most liquid during two windows: - IST morning (09:00-12:00): shared hours with Asian markets (Singapore, Tokyo, Hong Kong) - IST afternoon (13:00-17:00): shared hours with London
Shared hours with European markets: 13:00-15:30 IST
London opens at 08:00 GMT / 09:00 BST. In IST: - Winter (London on GMT): London opens at 13:30 IST. The window with NSE/BSE is 13:30-15:30 IST. - Summer (London on BST, late March to late October): London opens at 12:30 IST. The window is 12:30-15:30 IST.
European equity markets (Frankfurt, Paris) open at 09:00 CET / 08:00 CEST, giving a shared window from 13:00-15:30 IST (winter) or 12:00-15:30 IST (summer).
Shared hours with US markets: 19:00-22:30 IST (summer)
New York opens at 09:30 ET / 09:30 EST. In IST: - Summer (New York on EDT, mid-March to early November): Wall Street opens at 19:00 IST. The window before India's equity close is 19:00-22:30 IST. This matters for traders watching US index futures or cross-listed stocks. - Winter (New York on EST): Wall Street opens at 20:00 IST. The equity market is already closed, but MCX commodity and currency derivatives are still trading.
Market holidays and Muhurat trading
Indian exchanges follow the India public holiday calendar. All exchanges are closed on Republic Day (26 January), Independence Day (15 August), Gandhi Jayanti (2 October), Diwali, Holi, and other gazetted holidays.
The one exception is Muhurat trading, a one-hour evening session on Diwali day. In 2026, Diwali falls on Sunday, 8 November. Muhurat trading typically runs 18:15-19:15 IST or similar, announced by each exchange a week before.
NSE trading hours and market segments at a glance
| Market | Segment | Trading hours (IST) | Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSE / BSE | Equity cash & derivatives | 09:15-15:30 | Mon, Fri |
| MCX | Commodities (morning) | 09:00-17:00 | Mon, Fri |
| MCX | Commodities (evening) | 18:00-23:30 | Mon, Fri |
| NSE Forex | Currency derivatives | 09:00-17:00 | Mon, Fri |
| Any market | Muhurat trading (Diwali) | Usually 18:15-19:15 | Diwali day |
Why IST stays fixed: no daylight saving in India
All Indian exchanges operate on India Standard Time, fixed at UTC+5:30 year-round. India does not observe daylight saving time. For conversion to local time:
- IST vs London time: London is 5.5 hours behind IST in winter, 4.5 hours behind in summer.
- IST vs New York time: New York is 10.5 hours behind IST in winter, 9.5 hours behind in summer.
- Time in Mumbai: both NSE and BSE are headquartered in Mumbai, which uses IST.