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To effectively trade or invest in the financial markets, you need to have the proper knowledge about the stock market timings in India. All over the country, the share market timings are the same. Therefore, once you get to know what the stock market timings are, you can buy, sell, or invest in shares from any part of the country during that time. These timings are also the same whether you want to trade on any of the two major stock exchanges in India, namely the BSE and the NSE. The regular market trading hours are from 09:15 AM to 03:30 PM. There’s a pre-opening session before 09:15 AM and a post-closing session after 03:30 PM, conducted after India stock market hours.
Here is the Indian stock market opening time and closing time, along with the sessions that take place during the course of the day.
| Segment | Timing | Description |
| Pre-Opening Session | 9:00 AM – 9:15 AM | A short window before the market opens
used to evaluate buy and sell orders to determine the opening price. |
| Normal Trading Session | 9:15 AM – 3:30 PM | The main trading period is when investors can buy and sell stocks in real-time. |
| Post-Opening Session | 3:40 PM – 4:00 PM | Allows placing buy/sell orders at the closing price of the day and preparing for the next day’s pre-opening session. |
The pre-opening session starts at 09:00 AM and goes on till 09:15 AM. It’s further divided into three sections. During one of these time slots, you can place orders to buy or sell shares for a limited period. Let’s look at the details of the pre-opening session below.
You can use these 8 minutes to place an order to buy or sell various shares on the stock market. You can also change or cancel any orders you have placed. Once the regular market starts at 09:15 AM, the ones executed during this part of the pre-opening session take priority in the queue of orders.
You can’t place new orders, change existing orders or cancel orders during these 4 minutes. This section is required to carry out price matching by comparing supply and demand. It is used to calculate the prices at which various shares will be traded when the market opens at 09:15 AM.
This 3-minute window of time is like a connection section between the pre-opening session and the normal trading hours. It behaves like a buffer to ease the transition into the regular trading session. Again, during these 3 minutes as well, you cannot place, modify, or cancel any orders.
This is known as the continuous trading session. It runs from 09:15 AM to 03:30 PM. You are able to buy and sell stock freely during this session, and you are able to place buy or sell orders for stock as well as modify or cancel those buy or sell orders without any restrictions. An order-matching mechanism is adopted within the window. Every sell order is thus against a buy order at the same stock price, and every buy order is against the buy order at the same stock price.
This session begins when the regular trading session comes to a close at 03:30 PM. The post-closing session, which runs up to 04:00 PM, consists of two sections.
In these 10 minutes, the closing prices of stocks are calculated by taking the weighted average of the stock prices traded between 03:00 PM and 03:30 PM. The closing prices of indices like Sensex and Nifty are calculated by considering the weighted average prices of all the securities that are listed in that index.
In this 20-minute section, you can still place buy and sell orders. But the orders are confirmed only if there are sufficient numbers of buyers and sellers in the market.
Here’s how you can invest in the stock market step by step:
Pick a broker or trading app. Complete your KYC and registration.
Add money to your account using bank transfer or other payment options.
Check company details, market trends, and reports. Beginners can start with blue-chip stocks, mutual funds, or ETFs.
Buy stocks through your broker or app. Begin small and increase slowly.
Invest in different sectors to reduce risk. Track the market to keep your stocks aligned with your goals.
Stock market timings define the hours during which trading activities take place. Markets operate in sessions. These include pre-market, regular trading, and post-market periods. Let’s analyse the equity market time in India in detail:
Stock market closing times in India are divided into two key trading sessions: morning and afternoon. These sessions define when investors can engage in trading before the market shuts for the day.
– Opening Time: The India stock market start time is 9:15 AM IST.
– Closing Time: 12:30 PM IST.
– The market sees high activity as global trends influence early trades.
– Opening Time: 12:30 PM IST.
– Closing Time: The Market closes at 3:30 PM IST, marking the end of share market trading timings in India.
– Investors make final trades before the closing bell.
Additionally, different exchanges may have variations in the India stock market trading time, especially for post-market and after-hours trading
Aftermarket orders give investors a chance to trade even after the stock market closes. This is useful when big news or announcements come after hours. In India, brokerages accept these orders between 4 PM and 9 AM for the next day’s market open. This way, investors can react to overnight developments, secure better prices, or adjust their portfolios. It allows more flexibility and helps them prepare strategically for the next trading session.
On most public and national holidays, the Indian stock market stays closed. But there is a special one-hour session called Muhurat trading on Diwali. This tradition exists because Diwali is considered an auspicious day for wealth and prosperity. The exact timing of this session changes each year and is announced in advance. Many investors participate during this hour, often using share trading apps, to mark the beginning of their financial year with positive investments.
Being aware of share market timings in India is vital to earn profits, especially if you pursue intraday trading. All you need is an online Demat account and trading account to get started on your journey of trading or investing in the share market. You can open an online Demat and trading account with any one of the many depository participants in India.
The trading market close time each day is at half past three in the afternoon, during regular sessions running from Monday to Friday.
The Indian share market trading time is from 9:15 AM to 3:30 PM, Monday to Friday. There is also a pre-opening session from 9:00 AM to 9:15 AM.
The right time depends on the economy and your financial goals. It’s best to research or ask a financial expert before investing.
Yes, the market timings are the same for both NSE and BSE. You can trade on both exchanges during the same hours.
Yes, you can place orders after hours. They will be carried out when the market opens the next day.
No, trading is closed on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays. You can only trade on weekdays.
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