NSE & BSE Trading Hours (2026)
Both the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) follow the same schedule:
| Session | Time (IST) | What Happens |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-Open | 9:00 — 9:08 | Order collection + price discovery. No trades executed yet. |
| Pre-Open Matching | 9:08 — 9:12 | Orders matched to determine opening price. No new orders accepted. |
| Buffer | 9:12 — 9:15 | Transition period. System prepares for continuous trading. |
| Normal Market | 9:15 — 15:30 | Main trading session. This is when you trade. |
| Closing | 15:30 — 15:40 | Closing price calculation. Weighted average of last 30 minutes. |
| Post-Close | 15:40 — 16:00 | Trades at closing price only. Used for portfolio rebalancing. |
Key point: The actual trading window is 9:15 AM to 3:30 PM IST — 6 hours and 15 minutes. If you're an intraday trader, all positions must be squared off before 3:15 PM (most brokers auto-square at 3:20 PM).
MCX (Commodity) Trading Hours
The Multi Commodity Exchange runs on a different schedule:
| Session | Time (IST) | Instruments |
|---|---|---|
| Morning | 9:00 — 17:00 | Agri commodities (Cotton, Soybean, etc.) |
| Full Day | 9:00 — 23:30 | Gold, Silver, Crude Oil, Natural Gas, Copper |
| Extended (Nov-Mar) | 9:00 — 23:55 | Non-agri commodities during US daylight savings |
Why this matters: Gold and crude oil on MCX trade until 11:30 PM IST — overlapping with London afternoon and New York morning sessions. This is when the real volume happens. If you trade MCX gold, the best moves are between 6:00 PM — 10:00 PM IST (London + New York overlap).
Forex Market Hours From India
Forex markets run 24/5, but not all hours are equal. Here's how the global sessions map to IST:
| Session | IST Time | Best Pairs | Volatility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | 3:30 AM — 12:30 PM | AUD/USD, NZD/USD | Low |
| Tokyo | 5:30 AM — 2:30 PM | USD/JPY, EUR/JPY | Medium |
| London | 1:30 PM — 10:30 PM | EUR/USD, GBP/USD | High |
| New York | 6:30 PM — 3:30 AM | EUR/USD, USD/CAD | High |
| London + NY Overlap | 6:30 PM — 10:30 PM | All majors | Highest |
For Indian traders: The best forex trading window is 6:30 PM — 10:30 PM IST (London + New York overlap). This is after your day job and after NSE closes — perfect for part-time forex traders. Pairs like EUR/USD move 70-100 pips during this overlap, vs 20-30 pips during Asian session.
You can trade forex 24 hours through international brokers like Exness or XM on MetaTrader 5. For our recommended intraday strategies, the NSE 9:15 — 11:00 window gives the best setups.
Which Hours Are Best for Each Trading Style?
- Intraday (Nifty/Bank Nifty): 9:15 — 11:00 AM IST. First 2 hours have maximum volume and volatility. Our ORB-15 strategy uses just the first 15 minutes.
- Swing Trading (Stocks): Analyze after 3:30 PM when markets close. Place orders in pre-open (9:00 — 9:08) for next-day execution.
- Commodity (Gold/Crude): 6:00 PM — 10:00 PM IST. Overlaps with London and New York — highest volume and cleanest price action.
- Forex (EUR/USD, GBP/USD): 6:30 PM — 10:30 PM IST. London-NY overlap. If you can stay up, the New York session (until 1:00 AM IST) has strong trends.
- Options Selling: 9:30 — 10:30 AM for Nifty weekly options. Theta decay is fastest on expiry day (Thursday). Sell after the first 15-minute candle confirms direction.
Market Holidays 2026
NSE/BSE close on ~15 national holidays per year. Key dates that affect trading:
- Republic Day: 26 January (Monday)
- Holi: 17 March (Tuesday)
- Good Friday: 3 April (Friday) — also affects global forex (lower liquidity)
- Independence Day: 15 August (Friday)
- Diwali (Muhurat Trading): 20 October (Monday) — special 1-hour evening session
- Christmas: 25 December (Thursday)
Check the full NSE holiday list at nseindia.com before planning swing trades over long weekends.