Diwali Muhurat Trading session on November 8: Check timings
What's the story
The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) has announced the schedule for the Diwali Muhurat Trading session in 2026. The special trading window will be held on Sunday, November 8, coinciding with Laxmi Puja. Continuous trading in the equity segment will start at 2:20pm and continue until 3:30pm. This year's session is unique as it falls on a Sunday, unlike regular trading days when the equity market operates from 9:15am to 3:30pm.
Trading timeline
Pre-open session details
The BSE has issued a circular detailing the schedule for the special session.
Trading members can log in between 1:15pm and 1:50pm followed by a block deal window from 1:50pm to 2:05pm.
The pre-open session will start at 2:05pm with order entry for limit and market orders till 2:10pm.
From then until 2:15pm only limit orders will be accepted before moving into an order matching and confirmation period from 2:15-17pm.
Trading procedures
Continuous trading and closing auction processes
The BSE has scheduled continuous trading from 2:20pm to 3:30pm with closing-auction processes starting in the latter part of this window.
However, order entry during certain auction periods will be subject to random stoppages as per the prescribed trading mechanism.
This special session also includes separate timings for securities eligible for a special pre-open session, such as IPOs and re-listed stocks.
Session details
Special pre-open session for eligible securities
For securities eligible for a special pre-open session, order entry will start at 2:05pm and continue till 2:50pm.
This will be followed by an order matching period from 2:50-3:05pm. Continuous trading for these securities is scheduled between 3:05-3:30pm.
For stocks under the periodic call auction mechanism, the order entry period will run from 2:25-3:10pm with matching between 3:10-3:20pm and closing auction schedule starting at 3:15pm.
Price determination
Closing reference price and muhurat trading significance
The BSE has clarified that the closing reference price for securities eligible for the closing auction session will be determined on a volume-weighted average price basis of trades executed between 3:00-3:15pm.
This ensures fair pricing and transparency in the market.
Muhurat Trading is a long-standing tradition in India's stock market, with exchanges conducting this special session during Diwali to mark an auspicious beginning for investors.