To trade and invest effectively in the stock market in India, it is important to be aware of its timings. The timings for the stock market stay the same throughout the country and hence, a knowledge of the timings can help investors and traders to take positions in the stock market from any location.
Additionally, both the Indian stock exchanges, BSE and NSE, share the same timings to add to the ease. However, the MCX Commodities market has different trading times
In this article, we will look at the stock market timings covering the opening, closing, and after-market hours. Let us dive in to know all about share market trading time.
What Are The Share Market Timings in India?
The stock market trading time in India is from 9:15 AM to 3:30 PM. There is a pre-opening session before 9:15 AM and a post-closing session that takes place after 3:30 PM. Let us look at them separately:
Pre-Opening Session
The pre-opening session for the stock market starts at 9:00 AM and continues until 9:15 AM, divided further into three distinct sections.
During the pre-opening session, one can place orders for buying and selling securities for a limited period. The three sessions under the pre-opening sections are as follows:
1. Session 1: 9:00 AM to 9:08 AM
During this time, investors and traders can place orders for buying and selling different securities in the stock market.
There is also a possibility to cancel or modify the orders placed. As soon as the normal trading session begins at 9:15 AM, all the orders placed during this pre-opening session get priority in the order queue.
2. Session 2: 9:08 AM to 9:12 AM
In this section, investors or traders cannot place, modify, or cancel any orders. Instead, this section is specifically kept for price matching that consists of comparing demand and supply.
This comparison helps determine the final price at which the securities will trade as soon as the market opens for the day.
3. Session 3: 9:12 AM to 9:15 AM
This 3-minute gap builds a connection between the pre-opening session and the normal hours. Investors and traders cannot place, modify, or cancel orders during section 3 either. It solely acts as a buffer in the middle to smoothen the transition to normal trading hours.
Normal Session
Also referred to as the continuous trading session, it begins at 9:15 AM and closes at 3:30 PM. This is a session where investors or traders can freely place, modify, and cancel orders without any limitations.
During this window, a bilateral order matching process occurs where each sell order matches with a buy order placed at the same stock price, and similarly, each buy order matches with a sell order placed at a similar stock price.
Post-Closing Session
This session begins as soon as the normal trading session ends at 3:30 PM and closes at 4:00 PM. This session is like the stock market extended trading hours and can further be divided into two sections as mentioned below:
1. Session 1: 3:30 PM to 3:40 PM
During these 10 minutes, we calculate the stock closing prices by computing the weighted average of the stock prices traded between 3:00 PM and 3:30 PM. The closing prices of the Sensex and Nifty indices are determined by considering the weighted average prices of all securities listed in each index.
2. Session 2: 3:40 PM to 4:00 PM
You can place buy and sell orders during this 20-minute section. However, these orders are confirmed only if there are enough buyers and sellers in the stock market.
Muhurat Trading
The stock market remains closed on all public and national holidays except for Diwali. On Diwali each year, a Muhurat trading session takes place for one hour since Diwali is considered to be an auspicious day.
The time and date of the Muhurat trading changes each year. Investors and traders commonly use a share trading app for the Muhurat session.
Market holidays
Market holidays are also important to consider, as they impact trading availability. Market holidays for 2024 are as follows.
| Dates | Occasion |
| January 26, 2024 | Republic Day |
| March 08, 2024 | Mahashivratri |
| March 25, 2024 | Holi |
| March 29, 2024 | Good Friday |
For the complete list click here
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Conclusion
Being aware of the stock market timings is extremely important to make the most of the trading opportunities and earn good profits.
This is especially true for traders who engage in intraday trading. All that you need to begin trading in the stock market is a demat account and a trading account.
