What are the NSE trading hours in India in 2026?
Quick Answer: NSE's equity market trades from 9:15 am to 3:30 pm on weekdays, after a pre-open auction from 9:00 am. Since 3 August 2026, stocks with derivatives end in a closing auction from 3:15 pm to 3:35 pm, futures and options close at 3:40 pm, and a post-close session runs 3:50 to 4:00 pm.
NSE's trading day in India changed twice in 2026. A closing auction for derivative-linked stocks went live on 3 August. On 7 September, the pre-open session was restructured. What follows is the full timetable as it stands on 22 September 2026, segment by segment, with the NSE or SEBI circular behind each time.
What are stock market timings in India in 2026?
On a normal weekday in 2026, NSE's equity segment runs a pre-open from 9:00 to 9:15 am and continuous trading from 9:15 am. Continuous trading ends at 3:30 pm for most stocks. For stocks with derivatives, it ends at 3:15 pm.
Those derivative-linked stocks then move into the closing auction session, which fixes their closing price, and a post-close session follows from 3:50 to 4:00 pm, where trades take place at the closing price. Block deals get their own windows: one before the open, one in the afternoon.
Two circulars changed the day this year, which is why the dates matter. NSE's market timings page still showed the older 9:08 am pre-open close when read on 22 September 2026. Where the page and a circular differ, this article follows the circular.
What are the NSE pre-open, normal and closing session timings?
The pre-open runs 9:00 to 9:15 am, the normal market 9:15 am to 3:30 pm and the closing auction 3:15 to 3:35 pm.
NSE equity and derivatives sessions on a normal trading day (NSE/CMTR/74969, NSE/CMTR/74466, NSE/FAOP/74467, SEBI block deal circular of 8 October 2025; as of 22 September 2026)
| Session | Start | End | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Block deal window 1 | 8:45 am | 9:00 am | Equity cash |
| Pre-open: limit and market orders | 9:00 am | 9:05 am | Equity cash and F&O |
| Pre-open: limit orders only | 9:05 am | 9:10 am (random close) | Equity cash and F&O |
| Pre-open: matching, then buffer | 9:10 am | 9:15 am | Equity cash and F&O |
| Normal market | 9:15 am | 3:30 pm | Stocks without derivatives |
| Normal market | 9:15 am | 3:15 pm | Stocks with derivatives |
| T+0 settlement market | 9:15 am | 1:30 pm | Optional same-day settlement |
| Block deal window 2 | 2:05 pm | 2:20 pm | Equity cash |
| Closing auction session | 3:15 pm | 3:35 pm | Stocks with derivatives |
| Equity derivatives normal market | 9:15 am | 3:40 pm | Futures and options |
| Post-close session | 3:50 pm | 4:00 pm | Equity cash, at closing price |
In the closing auction, orders are collected from 3:20 pm and matched from 3:30 pm at one equilibrium price, within 3% of a reference price. Our note on why the Nifty can close above its 3:15 pm level walks through what that does to index closes.
Did NSE trading hours change in 2026?
Yes, twice. The closing auction session went live on 3 August 2026. A restructured 15-minute pre-open followed, taking effect on 7 September 2026.
SEBI's closing auction circular of 16 January 2026 brought the first change. It set the auction at 3:15 to 3:35 pm, kept derivatives trading until 3:40 pm and moved the post-close session to 3:50 to 4:00 pm. NSE applied it first to stocks with derivatives on any exchange, and its FAQ confirms that stocks without derivatives keep trading until 3:30 pm.
A second change came through NSE circular NSE/CMTR/74969 of 1 July 2026, listed on NSE's circulars page. Order entry, which used to run from 9:00 to 9:08 am, now splits in two: both order types until 9:05 am, then limit orders only until a random close by 9:10 am, with matching from 9:10 to 9:12 am. Our note on the 9:05 am market-order cut-off covers what the new pre-open means for small stocks.
What are the F&O, currency and commodity segment timings?
Equity futures and options trade from 9:15 am to 3:40 pm, after the same 9:00 to 9:15 am pre-open, per NSE circulars NSE/FAOP/74467 and NSE/FAOP/74970. That 3:40 pm close took effect on 3 August 2026, so F&O now runs ten minutes past the cash market's 3:30 pm close. NSE now computes the closing price of futures from trades between 3:10 and 3:40 pm. Our note on the 3:40 pm F&O close covers the reasoning behind the change.
Currency futures and options on pairs such as USDINR open at 9:00 am and close at 5:00 pm, per NSE's timings page, and the segment trades on every weekday that is not an exchange holiday.
Commodity derivatives open at 9:00 am and run into the night. Internationally referenced non-agricultural contracts close at 11:30 pm or 11:55 pm, depending on US daylight saving time, and NSE circular NSE/COM/76446 sets the 11:55 pm close from 2 November 2026 to 12 March 2027. Agricultural contracts with an international reference shut at 9:00 pm.
Is the stock market open on Saturday and Sunday?
No, not for regular trading. As of 22 September 2026, NSE's timings page states that the currency segment trades on all days except Saturdays, Sundays and exchange holidays. The equity sessions above run on weekdays only.
There are exceptions, each notified by circular. NSE held a live trading session on Sunday, 1 February 2026 for the Union Budget, and the 2026 holiday calendar marks Sunday, 8 November for Muhurat trading, with timings still to be notified as of 22 September 2026.
Saturday sessions do appear in NSE circulars, but as mock trading for members to test systems, and the session on Saturday, 1 August 2026, for example, was a mock run ahead of the closing auction go-live. Weekday trading holidays are a separate list, published segment by segment on NSE's holidays page.
What are the market timings on IPO listing day?
A newly listed IPO stock trades first in NSE's special pre-open session on listing day: order entry runs from 9:00 am to 9:45 am, matching follows until 9:55 am, and a buffer period runs to 10:00 am. This session discovers the opening price for IPOs and relisted securities, which have no previous close to anchor a normal pre-open. Normal trading in the stock starts at 10:00 am, so a listing-day stock opens 45 minutes later than the rest of the market.
The rest of the timetable is unchanged on a listing day. A stock with no derivatives contracts stays out of the closing auction and trades until 3:30 pm. Multibagg's market movers page shows the day's top gainers and losers once trading is under way.
Check a stock after the close
After the post-close session ends at 4:00 pm, the day's closing prices are final. For a closer look at the day, Multibagg's stocks section lists every covered company with price history, fundamentals and filings.
Disclaimer: This article is for educational and informational purposes only. Multibagg AI is not a SEBI-registered investment adviser or research analyst, and it does not provide investment, financial, legal or tax advice. Nothing here is a recommendation to buy, sell, hold or invest in any security. Market data is shown as of the dates stated and may have changed since. Please consult a SEBI-registered adviser before making any investment decision.
Aaditya Aanand is the founder and CEO of Multibagg AI. An IIT Kanpur alumnus, he has worked across technology and financial markets at Goldman Sachs and American Express. His writing explores investing, markets and AI.