Stock market timings in India: Opening and closing time of BSE and NSE share markets

Are you interested in trading or investing in the stock market but don't know when to start? The key to doing well in the financial markets is having the right information, and knowing how the stock market timings in India work is, of course, a big part of this.

Regardless of your expertise in the financial markets, learning the stock market timings can significantly impact your investment strategy. Luckily, the stock market timings in India are the same throughout the country, which means you can buy, sell, or invest in shares from any corner of India during market hours.

The stock market timings in India are generally from 9:15 AM to 3:30 PM (Indian Standard Time), Monday to Friday. Pre-opening session begins at 8:45 am. Keep reading to determine how these timings may affect your trading and investing.

Also Read: NSE holiday calendar 2023: list of NSE stock market trading holidays

S. No.	Session	Time
1	Pre-opening	9.00 a.m. – 9.15 a.m.
2	Normal	9.15 a.m. – 3.30 p.m.
3	Closing	3.30 p.m. – 4.00 p.m.

Also Read: World stock market timings: Dow Jones, Nasdaq European exchanges, SGX Nifty and more

The stock market timings in India

There are three separate trading sessions in terms of the stock market timings in India:

Pre-opening timing

The time for this session is 9 am to 9:15 am. During this period, investors can place orders to buy or sell bonds, stocks, and other securities. There are three distinct parts to it:

• 9.00 am – 9.08 am.

The Indian stock market accepts orders for all trade types during this period. When trading begins, the orders entered first are fulfilled before any others. Investors can make any necessary adjustments to their requests within this 8-minute window before the pre-opening session officially begins when no further orders can be placed.

• 9.08 am – 9.12 am.

This segment of the Indian share market is in charge of establishing the daily security prices. To facilitate fair transactions between buyers and sellers of a security, the demand and supply prices of that security are matched in descending order. The Indian stock market uses a multilateral order matching technique to determine the final prices at which trading will begin at regular market hours.

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During a given session of the Indian stock market, the price at which a security is traded is largely determined by the order in which bids and offers are made.
However, you cannot change an existing order's benefits during this session.

• 9.12 am – 9.15 am.

This time bridges the pre-opening and regular trading hours of the Indian stock market. During this period, no new transaction orders can be placed. Bets placed between 9.08 and 9.12 am are final and cannot be cancelled.

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Normal session

The main trading session for the Indian stock market is from 9.15 am to 3.30 pm. Bilateral order matching is used for all trades during this time, with prices set to the market's demand and supply.

The instability of the bilateral order matching method causes widespread price volatility in the securities market. The multi-order method, designed for the pre-opening session, was implemented into the stock market timings to tame this instability.

Also Read: BSE holidays 2023: List of stock market trading holidays for BSE India

Post-closing session

After 3:30 pm, there are no further selling or buying activities, but other functions go on in the stock market. The closing price is set after 3:30, and this has a major impact on the starting price of a share the following day.

The stock market timings in India include two different closing times

• 3.30 pm – 3.40 pm.

The last price of the day on the stock market is determined by taking an average of the prices of all securities traded between 3 and 3.30. Nifty, Sensex, S&P Auto, and so on, are all benchmark and sector indices that use weighted average prices of listed stocks to calculate their closing values.

• 3.40 pm – 4 pm.

Bids for the next day's trade can be placed after the stock market closes- this sort of order is called an AMO or an After-Market Order. If there are enough buyers and sellers at this time, all bids made during this period will be accepted. No matter the opening market price, these deals are done at the agreed-upon price. Those who are preoccupied during the usual trading hours may find AMOs better suited for themselves.

Therefore, if the opening price is higher than the closing price, the investor will make a profit. If the closing price is higher than the opening share price, bids might be cancelled between 9:00 and 9:08 am.

Also Read: Nifty 50 stocks list in 2023: Stock weightage, sectors and computation methodology

Muhurat trading

Since Diwali is a national holiday commemorating a religious occasion, trading in the Indian stock market is often suspended on that day. But every year, on account of Diwali, the market opens for a full hour. Trades happen on Diwali for good luck.

In 2022, the Muhurat trading happened on October 24, at 6:15 pm, and in 2023, the date for Muhurat trading would be November 12.

The timings for Muhurat trading this year will be disclosed closer to the occasion, we will update this section as soon as we have official confirmation of the timing.

Understanding the stock market timings for trading makes the process much less stressful for investors like you. Since the timings are consistent, it is simple for traders to place orders at the right times according to their strategies.

Frequently asked questions

1. What is an after-market order?

An After Market Order (AMO) is an order placed outside the market's normal trading hours that will be taken ahead of the next business day when the market opens. Otherwise preoccupied users during normal trade hours will find AMOs very helpful.

2. Is it possible to buy stocks beyond market hours?

After the stock market closes, buy and sell orders can be placed. The trade will happen the next day, during trading hours.

3. When is the best suitable time to trade stocks?

The stock market is always open for business. It’s ideal to trade stocks once your savings goal has been realized, as the stock market is difficult to predict due to its extreme volatility.

4. What is the opening and closing time of SGX Nifty?

SGX Nifty operates for 16 hours from 6.30 AM to 11.30 PM in the Singapore stock exchange.