Indian Stock Market Holiday Calendar 2021

If you are a stock market investor or a beginner who is planning to start trading, then you would need to keep an eye on the current trading holiday calendar. The holiday list for the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) are the two important ones. Then, there is a holiday list for the Commodity Exchanges, leading amongst them is the Multi-Commodity Exchange (MCX). All these exchanges have a set of holidays that you will have to resort to every time you plan to trade.

It is important to note that all the Exchanges otherwise operate five days a week, starting from Monday to Friday. Saturday and Sunday are weekly holidays.

Muhurat Trading

It is essential to note the Muhurat trading date, which is a special Indian occasion–Diwali. This is when the trading is open for an hour, as it symbolises wealth and prosperity. For the year 2021, this Muhurat Trading date is November 04.

Important Trading Holidays

In the BSE, the holiday list for commodity derivatives, some evening sessions are operational for trading on certain holidays, such as on the day of Mahashivratri (March 11, 2021), Ram Navami (April 21, 2021), Ambedkar Jayanti (April 14, 2021), Eid-ul-Fitr (May 13, 2021), Balipratipada Diwali (November 05, 2021) and Guru Nanak Jayanti (November 19, 2021).

BSE Share Market Holidays List For Commodity Derivatives Segment

Date Day Holiday Morning Session Evening Session
January 01,2021 Friday New Year Day Open Closed
January 26,2021 Tuesday Republic Day Closed Closed
March 11,2021 Thursday Mahashivratri Closed Open
March 29,2021 Monday Holi Closed Open
April 02,2021 Friday Good Friday Closed Closed
April 14,2021 Wednesday Dr.Baba Saheb Ambedkar Jayanti Closed Open
April 21,2021 Wednesday Ram Navami Closed Open
May 13,2021 Thursday Id-Ul-Fitr (Ramzan Id) Closed Open
July 21,2021 Wednesday Bakri Id Closed Open
August 19,2021 Thursday Muharram Closed Open
September 10,2021 Friday Ganesh Chaturthi Closed Open
October 15,2021 Friday Dussehra Closed Open
November 04,2021 Thursday Diwali - Laxmi Pujan Closed Open
November 05,2021 Friday Diwali - Balipratipada Closed Open
November 19,2021 Friday Gurunanak Jayanti Closed Open

(Source: bseindia.com)

The BSE Stock Market for Equity, SLB and Equity Derivatives Segments has a separate trading holiday list.

Trading Holiday List for the BSE Stock Market for Equity, SLB and Equity Derivatives Segments

Date Day Holidays
January 26,2021 Tuesday Republic Day
March 11,2021 Thursday Mahashivratri
March 29,2021 Monday Holi
April 02,2021 Friday Good Friday
April 14,2021 Wednesday Dr.Baba Saheb Ambedkar Jayanti
April 21,2021 Wednesday Ram Navami
May 13,2021 Thursday Id-Ul-Fitr (Ramzan Id)
July 21,2021 Wednesday Bakri Id
August 19,2021 Thursday Muharram
September 10,2021 Friday Ganesh Chaturthi
October 15,2021 Friday Dussehra
November 04,2021 Thursday Diwali - Laxmi Pujan
November 05,2021 Friday Diwali - Balipratipada
November 19,2021 Friday Gurunanak Jayanti

(Source: bseindia.com)

Also, note that the NSE has two distinct lists as stock market trading holidays and market clearing holidays.

Trading Holiday List for the NSE Stock Market

Date Day Holiday
January 26,2021 Tuesday Republic Day
March 11,2021 Thursday Mahashivratri
March 29,2021 Monday Holi
April 2,2021 Friday Good Friday
April 14,2021 Wednesday Dr.Baba Saheb Ambedkar Jayanti
April 21,2021 Wednesday Ram Navami
May 13,2021 Thursday Id-Ul-Fitr (Ramzan ID)
July 21,2021 Wednesday Bakri Id
August 19,2021 Thursday Muharram
September 10,2021 Friday Ganesh Chaturthi
October 15,2021 Friday Dussehra
November 5,2021 Friday Diwali-Balipratipada
November 19,2021 Friday Gurunanak Jayanti

(Source: nseindia.com)

Clearing Holiday List for the NSE Stock Market

Date Day Holiday
January 26,2021 Tuesday Republic Day
February 19,2021 Friday Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti
March 11,2021 Thursday Mahashivratri
March 29,2021 Monday Holi
April 1,2021 Thursday Annual Bank Closing
April 2,2021 Friday Good Friday
April 13,2021 Tuesday Gudi Padwa
April 14,2021 Wednesday Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Jayanti
April 21,2021 Wednesday Ram Navami
May 13,2021 Thursday Id-Ul-Fitr (Ramzan ID)
May 26,2021 Wednesday Buddha Pournima
July 21,2021 Wednesday Bakri Id
August 16,2021 Monday Parsi New Year
August 19,2021 Thursday Moharram
September 10,2021 Friday Ganesh Chaturthi
October 15,2021 Friday Dusshera
October 19,2021 Tuesday Id-E-Milad
November 4,2021 Thursday Diwali- Laxmi Pujan
November 5,2021 Friday Diwali-Balipratipada
November 19,2021 Friday Gurunanak Jayanti

(Source: nseindia.com)

As a beginner, you will have to keep a track of the variations that the MCX trading holidays have. On certain holidays only the morning sessions are operational while on others are operational in the evening, or a combination of both remaining open or closed for operations. Note here that there is a separate trading holiday list for MCX to do commodity trading.

Trading Holiday List for the Commodity Market (MCX/NCDEX)

Date Day Holidays Morning Session Evening Session
January 01,2021 Friday New Year Day Open Closed
January 26,2021 Tuesday Republic Day Closed Closed
March 11,2021 Thursday Mahashivratri Closed Open
March 29,2021 Monday Holi Closed Open
April 2,2021 Friday Good Friday Closed Closed
April 14,2021 Wednesday Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Jayanti Closed Closed
April 21,2021 Wednesday Ram Navmi I/D Open
May 13,2021 Thursday Ramzan Id (Id-Ul-Fitr) Closed Open
July 21,2021 Wednesday Bakri Id Closed Open
August 19,2021 Thursday Moharram Closed Closed
September 10,2021 Friday Ganesh Chaturthi Closed Open
October 15,2021 Friday Dussehra Closed Open
November 4,2021 Thursday Diwali - Laxmi Pujan Closed Closed
November 5,2021 Friday Diwali - Balipratipada Closed Open
November 19,2021 Friday Guru Nanak Jayanti Closed Closed

(Source: commoditytrademantra.com)

On certain unfavorable or unavoidable events, the trading holiday list could be modified and circulated. Keep an eye for such untimely changes.

Now, the question is “As a trader What should you do on a trading holiday?” A simple beneficial answer to this is, that you must keep doing stock market research and keep a watch on how certain stocks are behaving, and then plan accordingly when you trade. Trading holidays can prove to be a good opportunity to relearn and review the basics of trading. This would help you to be prepared before the bell rings on the next trading morning. It may be helpful to keep the Trading Holiday List handy or mark up an online calendar for ready reference.

Conclusion

Much like every other institution or body, the Indian Stock Market Exchanges namely, the NSE, the BSE and the MCX, all have their own Trading Holiday Calendar. Before you begin to use your trading account, ensure to keep a note of the list as it would be beneficial in deciding your trading strategies.