Public Sector Banks remain open on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays, while the stock market remains closed on Saturdays. Some people argue that closing banks on the remaining two or three Saturdays would have a significant adverse impact on the economy. But does the closure of the stock market on Saturdays not also impact the economy? Let’s have a look at the timings of the Indian stock market.
The Indian stock market operates from 9:15 AM to 3:30 PM (IST) on weekdays (Monday through Friday). Trading does not take place on weekends or designated exchange holidays.
The trading day on both the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) is divided into the following key sessions:
Main Trading Sessions
- Pre-Open Session (9:00 AM – 9:15 AM):
- 9:00 AM – 9:08 AM: Order entry, modification, and cancellation.
- 9:08 AM – 9:15 AM: Order matching and price discovery to set the day’s opening price.
- Regular Trading Session (9:15 AM – 3:30 PM): This is the main session for buying and selling shares, where orders are continuously matched.
- Post-Closing Session (3:40 PM – 4:00 PM): Allows you to place orders at the day’s closing price.
For institutional investors, the Block Deal Window operates from 8:45 AM to 9:00 AM and 2:05 PM to 2:20 PM. You can also use After Market Orders (AMO) outside these hours to queue trades for the following day.
