Budget Day special trading session: Know timings and rules
What's the story
The National Stock Exchange (NSE) and BSE have confirmed that the Indian stock market will remain open during a special trading session on February 1.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget for fiscal year 2025-26 this Saturday. It will be her eighth consecutive budget presentation.
The exchanges will hold a full trading session, with equity trading from 9:15am to 3:30pm and commodity derivatives trading till 5:00pm.
Suspension details
Trading suspension and historical precedents
The T+0 settlement session will be suspended on account of a settlement holiday on Budget Day.
This move is in line with previous instances when markets opened on Saturdays for budget announcements, like in 2020 and 2015.
The decision is aimed at allowing investors to respond immediately to fiscal policy measures, tax reforms, and sectoral allocations that often drive market movements.
Market operations
Pre-market trading and live updates
Pre-market trading will be conducted between 9:00am and 9:08am while benchmark indices Nifty 50 and Sensex will give live updates during the session.
The Union Budget is a key event for markets as it lays out the economic agenda for the coming year.
Market players will closely dissect the announcements for cues on growth, taxation, and sectoral incentives that may influence investment sentiment in the weeks to come.
Trading schedule
Additional details for special trading day
Other activities for the special trading day include a block deal meeting (8:45am to 9:00am); a special pre-open session for IPO & relisted security (9:00am to 9:45am); and a call auction illiquid session (six sessions of one hour each) (9:30am to 3:30pm).
There will also be a block deal session (2:05pm to 2:20pm) and a post-closing session (3:40pm to 4:00pm).
The trade modification cut-off time is 4:15pm.