Stock Market Timings - NSE & BSE Opening & Closing Time

Traders can participate in the purchase and sale of securities listed on two major stock exchanges in India - the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock exchange.
If you want to start trading in stocks and are wondering about the opening time of Indian stock market, here's everything you need to know.

• The share market timings for trading are from 9.15 a.m to 3.30 p.m on all weekdays.
• The stock market is shut on Saturdays and Sundays and no transactions are executed.
• The stock market is shut on the festival day of Diwali but opens for one hour wherein investors can practice muhurat trading.

An investor or trader can operate in the stock market only during fixed hours on specific days. The opening time of Indian stock market for trading is from 9.15 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. on all weekdays.The share market timings in India is explained below:

Pre-opening Session

The pre-opening share market timings begins from 9.00 a.m. and lasts till 9.15 a.m. During this time interval, an investor or trader can place orders for the purchase and sale of securities.The pre-opening time of Indian stock market can be further classified into three sessions:

• 9.00 a.m – 9.08 a.m

During thisopening time of Indian stock market, an investor or trader places orders for the purchase and sale of shares of any listed company. The particular order entry is given priority and is cleared off in the beginning of the normal trading session.The orders placed during this opening time of the Indian stock market can be modified or even cancelled as per the investor's requirement. No new orders can be placed after this duration of the pre-opening time of the Indian stock market.

• 9.08 a.m – 9.12 a.m

During this duration of the pre-opening time of the Indian stock market, the prices of securities are determined. Demand and supply forces are compared and price matching of shares is done through a multilateral order matching system.The price matching of stocks is done to determine their fair prices at which trading will be done when it is time for stock market to open at 09.15 a.m. The buyer or seller of the respective share is not allowed to place new orders or even modify or cancel existing orders during these four minutes.

• 9.12 a.m – 9.15 a.m

These three minutes of the pre-opening time of Indian stock market act as a transition period between pre-opening and normaltrading time in Indian stock market. No additional orders for transactions can be placed during this time nor can existing orders be revoked.

Regular Trading Session

After the opening time of the Indian stock market, which is 9.15 a.m, the regular trading session begins. Retail investors can buy, sell, and trade several securities via a brokerage agency between 9.15 a.m and 3.30 p.m from Monday to Friday.The stock market is shut on Saturdays and Sundays and no share market transactions are executed.

Post-closing Session

The share market timings in India end at 3.30 p.m Both major stock exchanges - the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock exchange - halt trade for the remaining hours of the day.Meanwhile, the closing price of shares is determined post the closing session. This is crucial in deciding the opening price of the stock, the following day.The post-closing session is also divided into two sections which are mentioned below:

• 03.30 p.m to 03:40 p.m

During this time interval, the closing price of stocks is calculated by taking the weighted average of the stock prices traded between 03.00 p.m and 03.30 p.m

• 03.40 p.m to 04.00 p.m

In the remaining 20 minutes of the post-closing session, an investor or trader can still place buy and sell orders. These orders are confirmed only if there are sufficient numbers of buyers and sellers in the market. Also Read: What is Equity Trading in the Share Market?

Aftermarket Hours

Post 4.00 p.m, traders cannot place any transaction. However, they can place aftermarket orders for shares that are then allocated at the opening market price, the following day.

Muhurat Trading

Stock market timings are different when the festival of Diwali is celebrated in India. The stock market is shut for the entire day but opens for only one hour and its timings are notified a few days in advance.In 2024, Muhurat trading will be conducted on 1st November.

Investors and traders should plan their day according to the stock market time table if they wish to transact in the share market. The key requirements to start investing in the share market include having an online or offline d emat account and basic knowledge about the stock market. In cases of fraud or misinformation, customers can file a complaint and take legal action against the offender.