NSE market hours, holidays and T+1 settlement, explained

Knowing when the market is open, and what happens at the edges of the trading day, avoids a surprising number of beginner mistakes.

The trading day (IST, Monday to Friday)

• 9:00 to 9:08: pre-open order entry. Orders are collected but not matched.
• 9:08 to 9:15: the opening price is discovered and pre-open orders are matched, then the market moves into normal trading.
• 9:15 to 15:30: the normal session, with continuous matching of buy and sell orders.
• 15:40 to 16:00: the post-close session, where trades happen only at the closing price.

Prices tend to swing most in the first and last half hour. Limit orders protect you from filling at a price you didn’t expect.

Exchange holidays

NSE and BSE publish a list of trading holidays each year, covering national holidays and major festivals whose dates move with the calendar. On Diwali the exchanges usually hold a short evening Muhurat trading session. Always check the current year’s circular rather than assuming a date.

T+1 settlement

Indian equities settle on T+1: if you buy on Monday, the shares arrive in your demat account on Tuesday, and if you sell, the money is credited the next trading day. Holidays and weekends are skipped when counting.