To understand market timings, first, we have to look at the types of markets available for us to trade. In India, we have equities, currencies, commodities, and bond markets. Then as a general rule of thumb, every Saturday and Sunday are fun days known as market holidays in India. The most famous market in India is undoubtedly the equities market or share market. Therefore let us start looking at the equities markets first.
Equity Market timings in India
| S.NO | MARKET | OPENING TIME | CLOSING TIME |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | EQUITY PRE-OPEN | 09:00 AM | 09:15 AM |
| 2 | EQUITY NORMAL TRADING | 09:15 AM | 03:30 PM |
| 3 | SATURDAY – SUNDAY | OFF | OFF |
Firstly, we are going to look at the schedule of the equities market. All the timings are as per IST – Indian Standard Time. The equities market’s regulator is SEBI – Securities and Exchange Board of India.
Equity market holiday in 2021
| S.NO | HOLIDAY | DATE | DAY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Muharram | August 19, 2021 | Thursday |
| 2 | Ganesh Chaturthi | September 10, 2021 | Friday |
| 3 | Dussehra | October 15, 2021 | Friday |
| 4 | Diwali * Laxmi Pujan | November 04, 2021 | Thursday |
| 5 | Diwali Balipratipada | November 05, 2021 | Friday |
| 6 | Gurunanak Jayanti | November 19, 2021 | Friday |
How to trade in pre- open market?
Many traders trading on the principles of BTST – Buy Today and Sell Tomorrow wants to know how they can trade in the pre-open markets. The answer to this question is simple – by placing an AMO – After Market Orders.
Most discount brokers or full brokers do not provide the facility of AMO orders for the pre-open markets. Zerodha, through its Demat account, does provide this facility for traders’ so that anyone can place an AMO order.
AMO orders – Firstly, it is not a guarantee that all the orders will execute. Nevertheless, this is a facility wherein you at least have a chance to participate. Suppose you have placed an AMO order in Zerodha.
From 09:00 AM – 09:08 AM, bids for all the AMO orders get collected. After that period between 09:08 AM – 09:15 AM, the market settles down. If the AMO order completes, then we will get a notification of order completion. If the AMO order does not complete, then we will either receive the rejection notification. Finally, if your orders are placed and executed, then you’ve made an early entry or exit.
Commodity Market Timings
| S.NO | MARKET | OPENING TIME | CLOSING TIME |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | COMMODITY METALS DERIVATIVE | 09:00 AM | 11:30 PM |
| 2 | COMMODITY AGRICULTURAL | 09:00 AM | 05:00 PM |
| 3 | SATURDAY – SUNDAY | OFF | OFF |
The commodity markets in India come under the ambit of SEBI. Unlike equities, we cannot take the delivery of commodities in our Demat accounts. The reason is simply that physical infrastructure is a requirement for its storage. Everyone cannot afford the infrastructure requirement of different types of commodities. Therefore commodities are traded in the derivatives market via the three (3) months’ future contracts.
Commodity market holidays 2021
| S.NO | HOLIDAY | DATE | DAY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Muharram | August 19, 2021 | Thursday |
| 2 | Ganesh Chaturthi | September 10, 2021 | Friday |
| 3 | Dussehra | October 15, 2021 | Friday |
| 4 | Diwali * Laxmi Pujan | November 04, 2021 | Thursday |
| 5 | Diwali Balipratipada | November 05, 2021 | Friday |
| 6 | Gurunanak Jayanti | November 19, 2021 | Friday |
Currency Market Timings or Forex Market Timings in India
| S.NO | MARKET | OPENING TIME | CLOSING TIME |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CURRENCY | 09:00 AM | 05:00 PM |
| 2 | SATURDAY – SUNDAY | OFF | OFF |
RBI – Reserve Bank of India regulates the currency market of India. RBI via FBIL – Financial Benchmarks India Private Limited publishes the currency rates and benchmark trends. FBIL publishes the MIBOR – Mumbai Inter-Bank Offered rate at 11:45 AM every day. FBIL has a list of banks that can submit or participate in quoting the rates by creating a poll. The CCIL – Clearing Corporation of India Limited calculates the rate collected via polls, and FBIL publishes them. If you need more information, then visit the term MIBOR page of the FIBM.
Although, people don’t go into the details of what they are doing. Our responsibility is to guide them in the right direction. Let the people know about the institutions they are going to encounter. There are only four base pairs of currencies that are allowed for trading in India.
- USD/INR
- GBP/INR
- JPY/INR
- EUR/INR
Currency Market Trading Holidays in 2021
| S.NO | HOLIDAY | DATE | DAY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parsi New Year | August 16, 2021 | Monday |
| 2 | Muharram | August 19, 2021 | Thursday |
| 3 | Ganesh Chaturthi | September 10, 2021 | Friday |
| 4 | Dussehra | October 15, 2021 | Friday |
| 5 | Id-E-Milad | October 19, 2021 | Tuesday |
| 6 | Diwali * Laxmi Pujan | November 04, 2021 | Thursday |
| 7 | Diwali Balipratipada | November 05, 2021 | Friday |
| 8 | Gurunanak Jayanti | November 19, 2021 | Friday |
Bond Market Timings in India
| S.NO | MARKET | OPENING TIME | CLOSING TIME |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BOND | 09:00 AM | 05:30 PM |
| 2 | SATURDAY – SUNDAY | OFF | OFF |
The bond markets are a black box for Indian retail investors. Firstly, there was no participation of retail investors in the bond market. Secondly, Institutions like banks, insurance companies, etc, but with certain restrictions, could participate in the bond market auction via the NDS-OM mechanism.
Nevertheless, it plays a crucial role in facilitating the system of credit in India. RBI again is regulating the bond market along with the help of CCIL in clearing and settlement. The Retail direct gilt is the new facility that RBI has announced for retail investors’ participation in the bond market of India. The platform used for bond trading in India is NDS-OM = Negotiated dealing system – Order matching segment.
Bond market holidays 2021
| S.NO | HOLIDAY | DATE | DAY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parsi New Year | August 16, 2021 | Monday |
| 2 | Muharram | August 19, 2021 | Thursday |
| 3 | Ganesh Chaturthi | September 10, 2021 | Friday |
| 4 | Dussehra | October 15, 2021 | Friday |
| 5 | Id-E-Milad | October 19, 2021 | Tuesday |
| 6 | Diwali * Laxmi Pujan | November 04, 2021 | Thursday |
| 7 | Diwali Balipratipada | November 05, 2021 | Friday |
| 8 | Gurunanak Jayanti | November 19, 2021 | Friday |
With this, we will conclude our holiday sessions.
