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While effectively dealing in the stock market, you need to have correct knowledge about current stock market timings in India. Stock market timings remain the same all over the country. There are two major stock exchanges in India, namely the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). NSE and BSE stock market timings in India also remain the same. Therefore, you can buy, sell, trade, or invest in securities from any part of the country during that time. BSE was established in 1875 and is Asia’s oldest stock exchange. On the other hand, NSE was incorporated in 1992, while it commenced operations in 1994.
Indian stock market timings for trading is dividend into three segments Pre-Opening Session, Normal Trading Session and Post-Closing Session. The regular NSE and BSE stock market open time is 9.15 AM and the stock market closing time is 3.30 PM. Also, there’s a pre-opening session from 9.00 AM to 9.15 AM and a post-closing session after 3.30 PM which runs up till 4.00 PM.
NSE and BSE Stock Market Opening and Closing Timings
The following table lists the BSE and NSE timings for different sessions:
| Sessions | Stock Market Timing |
| Pre-Opening Session | 9.00 AM to 9.15 AM |
| Normal Trading Session | 9.15 AM to 3.30 PM |
| Post-Closing Session | 3.30 PM to 4.00 PM |
Pre-Opening Session Timings for NSE and BSE
The pre-opening session in India starts at 9.00 AM and continues till 9.15 AM. Again, the pre-opening session is divided into three slots. During one of these time slots, you can place orders to trade (either buy or sell) in shares for a limited period. Let’s dig deeper to understand the pre-opening session in a wider sense:
- From 9.00 AM to 9.08 AM: During these 8 minutes, you can place orders to buy or sell securities in the market. You will also be able to modify or cancel existing orders that you might have placed. Once the normal market session begins at 9.15 AM, the orders placed during such slot will get preference in the queue of orders.
- From 9.08 AM to 9.12 AM: During the second slot of 4 minutes, you cannot place any new orders or modify/cancel the existing orders. This time slot is necessary to perform the price matching actions. Price matching is done to determine demand and supply. This process helps to arrive at the final price of shares once the normal session starts at 9.15 AM.
- From 9.12 AM to 9.15 AM: The last 3 minutes in the pre-opening session act to connect the pre-opening session and the normal market trading hours. During these 3 minutes, you will not be able to place, modify or cancel any orders. These sessions help to create a buffer to ease the transition into regular trading hours.
Normal Trading Session Timings for NSE and BSE
The normal trading hours are from 9.15 AM to 3.30 PM and are also known as continuous trading sessions. NSE and BSE are open on Monday to Friday (except public holidays) from:
- NSE Opening Time: 9:15 AM
- NSE Closing Time: 3:30 PM
- BSE Opening Time: 9:15 AM
- BSE Closing Time: 3:30 PM
These are NSE and BSE opening time and closing time where you can normally buy, sell, trade, or invest in stocks. During such trading hours, you can also modify, cancel your existing buy or sell orders without any limitations. The price of stocks is discovered by the normal demand and supply mechanism. During this session, a bilateral order matching system is followed. Under this system, each sell order is matched with a buy order that has been placed at the same price and vice versa.
Post-Closing Session Timings for NSE and BSE
This session begins after the regular trading session comes to an end at 3.30 PM. The post-closing session runs for 30 minutes till 4.00 PM and is again sub-divided into two slots.
- From 3.30 PM to 3.40 PM: During these 10 minutes, the closing price of stocks is calculated by taking the weighted average price of the stock traded between 3.00 PM to 3.30 PM. The last half an hour of the normal trading hours remains very crucial to determine the closing price during any particular trading day. The closing prices of major indices in India (Sensex and Nifty) are calculated by considering the weighted average prices of all the securities that are listed or present in that index. At present Nifty (NSE) comprises 50 listed entities whereas Sensex (BSE) comprises 30 listed entities.
- From 3.40 PM to 4.00 PM: During this 20-minutes session, you can still place buy and sell orders. However, the orders will be confirmed only if there are sufficient numbers of buyers and sellers in the market.
What are Aftermarket Orders?
After Market Orders (AMO) are orders that can be placed once the market closes. The AMO timings are 4:30 PM IST to 8:50 PM IST. These orders can be buy or sell orders of stocks for the following trading day. Thus, you can place these ordered before the commencement of the next trading day. AMO orders are helpful for individuals who are unable to participate during the market opening time.
What is Muhurat Trading?
In India, the stock market remains closed on all weekends and major public/national holidays as notified by exchanges timely. However, on Diwali day each year, referred to as “Samvat ”, the stock market is open for one hour for a Muhurat trading session. Muhurat trading also consists of the pre-opening session, normal session, and post-closing session. This trading hour takes place on every Samvat since Diwali is considered to be an auspicious day. The time and the date for this session changes each year and is notified on NSE and BSE websites.
Being aware of the NSE and BSE stock market timings in India is vital to trade or invest in markets. To trade or invest in markets, all you need is an offline or online demat account and trading account to get started on your journey in the share market. You can open an online Demat and trading account with any one of the registered broker participants in India. You need to go through a proper KYC while registering yourself with any of the brokers.
Discover More
- BSE Holidays List
- NSE Holidays List
- US Stock Market Timings
- Sensex vs Nifty
- Difference Between BSE and NSE
- What is Sensex?
- LTP in Stock Market
Frequently Asked Questions
To invest in a stock market, you must open a Demat and trading account with a broker or intermediary. Upon successfully opening the account, you need to shortlist the right stock for your investments and invest through your account. Investing in stocks is a high-risk proposition. You must actively track your investments and take quick buy and sell decisions. Mutual funds are an excellent alternative to stock investing. Mutual funds invest in a basket of stocks and are managed by professional fund managers.
You can place buy and sell orders after trading hours. The order will only be executed during trading hours on the following day.
There is no best time for share market trading. The best time is when your investment target is met. Stock markets are highly volatile, and timing it is quite hard.
Indian markets are open from 9:30 AM IST to 3:30 PM IST on weekdays (Monday to Friday). However, on national holidays, the stock markets are closed for trading.
No, Indian stock markets are not open during weekends, i.e., Saturday and Sunday.
The stock market opens at 9 AM IST (pre-opening session). However, trading begins at 9:30 AM IST.
No, Indian stock markets do not operate on national holidays.
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