What are stock market timings?
The stock market in India operates during specific hours, and understanding these timings is important for trading and investing efficiently. The regular trading hours for the equity segment are from 9:15 AM to 3:30 PM, Monday to Friday.
The stock market timings for different segments are as follows:
Equity market timings
The stock market timings for the equity segment are divided into 3 parts, as follows:
| Pre-market session | 9:00 AM – 9:15 AM |
| Normal trading session | 9:15 AM – 3:30 PM |
| Post-market session | 3:30 PM – 4:00 PM |
Pre-market session (9:00 AM—9:15 AM)
The pre-market session was introduced to minimise volatility and to discover the opening prices of shares during the daily market opening. It is further divided into three phases, each serving a specific function, as follows:
- 9:00 AM - 9:07 AM: In this period, clients can place or modify orders.
- 9:07 AM - 9:08 AM: The stock exchange matches buy and sell orders placed during the first 7 minutes to determine a stock's opening price.
- 9:08 AM - 9:15 AM: Buffer period during which orders cannot be placed, modified, or cancelled. This allows the stock exchanges to finalise and match orders, ensuring that opening prices are set accurately.
Normal trading session (9:15 AM – 3:30 PM)
Clients can place, modify, or cancel orders with no restrictions as in the pre-market session.
Post-market session (3:30 PM – 4:00 PM)
The post-market session occurs after normal trading hours and allows investors to place orders to buy or sell securities at the closing price of the day. It is further divided into 2 phases:
- 3:30 PM - 3:40 PM: A stock's closing price is determined by calculating the weighted average of all the trade prices between 3:00 PM and 3:30 PM. During this time, exchanges do not allow modifications, cancellations, or placement of new orders.
- 3:40 PM—4:00 PM: Market orders can be placed during this period and are executed at the day's closing price.
The post-market session is not very active, but price movements can be observed by viewing the market depth between 3:40 PM and 4:00 PM.
Currency market timings
The stock market timings for the currency segment are from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday. Unlike the equity segment, which has pre- and post-market sessions, the currency segment operates strictly within these hours.
The RBI mandates that traders must have an underlying
contracted exposure to foreign currency
if they wish to trade in the currency derivatives segment.
Commodity market timings
The market timings for trading commodities may vary depending on daylight saving time. The trading hours for different types of commodities are as follows:
- Agricultural Commodities: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
- Internationally referenceable agricultural commodities: 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
-
Non-agricultural Commodities:
- 9:00 AM to 11:30 PM (March to November)
- 9:00 AM to 11:55 PM (November to March during daylight saving time)
The table below outlines the classification of commodities into agri and non-agri categories, along with their specific sub-sections and included commodities:
| Commodity type | Sub-section | Included commodities |
|
Non-Agri Commodities
|
Base Metals | Aluminium, Alumini, Copper, Lead, Lead mini, Nickel, Zinc, Zinc mini and MCX Metldex |
| Bullion | Gold, Gold mini, Gold Guinea, Gold petal, Silver, Silver mini, Silver micro and MCX Bulldex | |
| Energy | Crude oil, Crude mini, Natural gas, Natural gas mini and MCX Enrgdex | |
|
Agri Commodities
|
Internationally referenceable agri commodities | Cotton candy and Kapas |
| All other agri commodities | Mentha oil |
Did you know?
- The markets are closed on trading holidays, and the list of holidays for 2024 can be viewed on the stock market holiday calendar.
- When a stock is listed after an IPO, it begins trading at 10:00 AM on the day of its listing, unlike regular stocks, which start at 9:15 AM. For more details, refer to the IPO listing schedule.
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