The National Stock Exchange (NSE) and BSE will hold the Diwali Muhurat trading session on Sunday 8 November 2026, the day of Diwali Laxmi Pujan. Normal equity trading on NSE runs from 2:20 pm to 3:30 pm, according to the exchange's circular of 19 October. It is a short, symbolic session that marks the start of the new Samvat year, but trades placed in it are real: NSE says every trade executed in the session creates settlement obligations.

This year's session is in the afternoon. In 2024 it was held from 6 pm to 7 pm, and in 2025 from 1:45 pm to 2:45 pm.

NSE timings for 8 November

Equity cash market

SessionTime (IST)
Block deal window1:50 pm to 2:05 pm
Pre-open order entry2:05 pm to 2:15 pm (only limit orders from 2:10 pm)
Pre-open order matching2:15 pm to 2:17 pm
Normal market2:20 pm to 3:30 pm
Call auction for illiquid shares2:25 pm to 3:10 pm
Normal market close for shares in the closing auction session3:15 pm
Closing auction session (order entry)3:20 pm to 3:30 pm
Post-close session3:50 pm to 4:00 pm
Trade modification cut-off4:15 pm

Shares that fall under NSE's closing auction session stop normal trading at 3:15 pm and close through the auction; the rest trade until 3:30 pm. Business Today reported that this is the first Muhurat session since NSE introduced the closing auction.

Equity derivatives (futures and options)

Pre-open runs from 2:05 pm to 2:20 pm, and normal trading from 2:20 pm to 3:40 pm, according to NSE's derivatives circular. Trade modification is allowed until 3:50 pm. This is why some reports give 3:30 pm as the closing time and others 3:40 pm: the first is the cash market, the second the derivatives market.

BSE and MCX

Business Today reported that BSE follows the same 2:20 pm to 3:30 pm equity schedule. The BSE notice could not be reviewed for this article. MCX's circular, as summarised by TeamLease RegTech, sets commodity trading from 2:20 pm to 3:30 pm, after a special session from 2:05 pm.

Settlement and holidays

  • Settlement: Trades executed on 8 November settle like trades from any other session. Monday 9 November is a normal trading day, and NSE Clearing has scheduled 8 November trades in its securities lending segment to settle that day. Cash-market trades follow the usual T+1 cycle.
  • Tuesday 10 November is a trading holiday for Diwali-Balipratipada, per NSE's 2026 holiday list. Markets reopen on Wednesday 11 November.
  • Derivatives expiry: Nifty weekly options normally expire on Tuesdays. Because 10 November is a holiday, traders should check NSE's expiry calendar for that week's date.
  • Intraday positions: The exchanges have not set a separate square-off rule for the session. Brokers apply their own cut-off times.

Mutual fund orders and SIPs

Muhurat trading is a stock exchange session. Mutual funds do not declare a separate net asset value (NAV) for it, and 8 November is a Sunday, so it is not a business day for fund houses. Tata Mutual Fund says no special Diwali NAV applies and that the normal SEBI cut-off and business-day rules continue to apply.

In practice, a purchase or redemption placed on 8 November is processed on the next business day, Monday 9 November, subject to the cut-off time. An order placed after the cut-off on 9 November would move to the next business day, which is likely to be 11 November because of the holiday on the 10th. A SIP instalment due on a holiday is processed according to the fund house's or platform's holiday schedule.

How past sessions went

Muhurat sessions have usually ended with small gains, but one hour of trading says little about the year ahead.

YearSensexNifty 50
2025 (21 October)+0.07% to 84,426.34+0.10% to 25,868.60
2024 (1 November)+0.42% to 79,724.12+0.41% to 24,304.35
2023 (12 November)+0.55% to 65,259.45+0.52% to 19,525.55

Liquidity in the session is usually thinner than on a normal day, so prices of less-traded shares can move more on small orders. The figures above are past results and do not indicate how the 2026 session will go.