The final week of August will see a shortened trading schedule for Indian markets as Ganesh Chaturthi falls mid-week. With festivities taking place across the country, Dalal Street will take a pause from its usual hustle.
NSE and BSE to Observe Holiday on August 27
Both major stock exchanges—the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and BSE—will remain closed on Wednesday, August 27, in observance of Ganesh Chaturthi. This suspension applies to all segments, including equities, equity derivatives, currency derivatives, securities lending and borrowing (SLB), and electronic gold receipts (EGR).
Trading will resume on Thursday, August 28, returning to normal market hours.
Commodities Trading Also Affected
The Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) will also shut operations on August 27 for Ganesh Chaturthi. There will be no commodity trading or settlement on this day, impacting participants who engage in precious metals and energy contracts.
Only Four Trading Sessions in the Week
The festival holiday will significantly cut short the trading week. Apart from the mid-week closure, the last weekend of August—Saturday, August 30, and Sunday, August 31—are non-trading days, leaving investors with just four working sessions to trade.
Ganesh Chaturthi is the second exchange holiday in August after Independence Day on August 15.
What’s Next on the Market Holiday List?
Post August, the next market closure comes on October 2 for Gandhi Jayanti. This will be followed by two key holidays for Diwali on October 21 and 22. As per tradition, a one-hour muhurat trading session will be conducted on October 21, with timings to be notified by the exchanges.
Further ahead, markets will remain closed on November 5 for Prakash Gurpurab (Sri Guru Nanak Dev’s birth anniversary) and on December 25 for Christmas.
Regular Trading Hours and Special Sessions
Indian stock exchanges operate Monday to Friday, with weekends and declared holidays off. Trading begins with a pre-open session at 9:00 AM, followed by the main market from 9:15 AM to 3:30 PM.
Additionally, there are special trading windows, such as the block deal session, which runs twice daily—8:45 AM to 9:00 AM and 2:05 PM to 2:20 PM. After normal trading closes, an order entry window is available between 3:40 PM and 4:00 PM for trades at the day’s closing price.
With Ganesh Chaturthi marking a break in the calendar, investors should plan strategies accordingly as a packed holiday schedule continues later in the year.
