Muhurat trading 2026 takes place on Sunday 8 November, Lakshmi Puja day. On NSE the pre-open starts at 2:05 pm, the normal market opens at 2:20 pm and equity trading runs to 3:30 pm. It is a live session, not a ceremony: NSE’s circular says every trade executed in it creates settlement obligations.
This page gives the timings from the exchange circulars, the rules that catch first-timers out, and a small data study. I took NSE’s own index files for the 14 muhurat sessions from 2012 to 2025 and asked two questions: what does the Nifty 50 do during the session, and does it tell you anything about the year ahead? The short answer is “very little”, and the one pattern that does show up is not the one the festive headlines suggest. If you are building a wider plan, start with our complete guide to investing in India, from beginners to advanced.
Muhurat trading 2026 at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Date and day | Sunday 8 November 2026 (Diwali Laxmi Pujan) |
| Exchanges | NSE and BSE, with the same equity timings |
| Equity pre-open | 2:05 pm to 2:20 pm (market and limit orders until 2:10 pm, limit orders only from 2:10 pm to 2:15 pm, matching 2:15 pm to 2:17 pm, buffer to 2:20 pm) |
| Equity normal market | 2:20 pm to 3:30 pm |
| Stocks in the closing auction (CAS) | Normal market ends 3:15 pm; price reference 3:15 pm to 3:20 pm; auction orders 3:20 pm to 3:30 pm; matching 3:30 pm to 3:35 pm |
| Futures and options (NSE) | 2:20 pm to 3:40 pm |
| Currency and commodity derivatives (NSE) | 2:20 pm to 3:30 pm |
| Block deal window | 1:50 pm to 2:05 pm |
| Settlement | All trades result in settlement obligations |
You will see two closing times for equities online, 3:15 pm and 3:30 pm. Both are right. NSE’s equity circular (NSE/CMTR/76941) closes the normal market at 3:15 pm only for stocks covered by its Closing Auction Session. Every other stock trades continuously until 3:30 pm. Futures and options run later, to 3:40 pm, which is why some pages quote that time for “muhurat trading”. BSE has announced the same equity schedule, according to Business Today’s report on the exchange notices.
What is actually different about the 2026 session
The usual framing is “a Sunday afternoon session instead of the usual evening”. Half of that needs correcting. A Sunday session is not new: the 2013, 2016, 2019 and 2023 sessions were all on Sundays, and 2020’s was on a Saturday. An afternoon slot is not new either. Last year’s session ran from 1:45 pm to 2:45 pm on Tuesday 21 October, a shift from the evening sessions of earlier years. What is new this year:
- A closing auction. This is the first muhurat session since NSE introduced its Closing Auction Session, so for covered stocks the close is set through an auction window rather than the last trade of the continuous session.
- A longer session. Continuous equity trading lasts 70 minutes (2:20 pm to 3:30 pm), against 60 minutes last year.
- A holiday right after. Monday 9 November is a normal trading day, but Tuesday 10 November is an NSE trading holiday for Diwali-Balipratipada, according to NSE’s 2026 holiday circular of 23 December 2025.
What muhurat trading is and why markets open on Diwali
Muhurat means an auspicious time. Diwali marks the start of the new Hindu financial year, Samvat 2083 this time, and traders traditionally open fresh account books on Lakshmi Puja. The exchanges mark the day with a short special session, even when Diwali falls on a weekend. The normal day’s trading is closed on 8 November; only this session runs.
What 14 years of muhurat data show
I used NSE’s daily index closing files for each muhurat date from 2012 to 2025, which give the Nifty 50’s open, close and previous close. On a muhurat date the exchange runs only the special session, so these daily figures are the session’s figures. I left out 2010 and 2011 because NSE’s file archive does not cover them and I did not want to rely on unofficial numbers. Returns are price returns, so dividends are excluded.
Nifty 50 move during the session, by year
| Year | Previous close | Session open | Session close | Close vs previous close | Open to close |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 (Tue, 13 Nov) | 5,683.70 | 5,689.70 | 5,666.95 | −0.29% | −0.40% |
| 2013 (Sun, 3 Nov) | 6,307.20 | 6,332.05 | 6,317.35 | +0.16% | −0.23% |
| 2014 (Thu, 23 Oct) | 7,995.90 | 8,027.70 | 8,014.55 | +0.23% | −0.16% |
| 2015 (Wed, 11 Nov) | 7,783.35 | 7,838.80 | 7,825.00 | +0.54% | −0.18% |
| 2016 (Sun, 30 Oct) | 8,638.00 | 8,672.35 | 8,625.70 | −0.14% | −0.54% |
| 2017 (Thu, 19 Oct) | 10,210.85 | 10,210.35 | 10,146.55 | −0.63% | −0.62% |
| 2018 (Wed, 7 Nov) | 10,530.00 | 10,614.45 | 10,598.40 | +0.65% | −0.15% |
| 2019 (Sun, 27 Oct) | 11,583.90 | 11,662.25 | 11,627.15 | +0.37% | −0.30% |
| 2020 (Sat, 14 Nov) | 12,719.95 | 12,823.35 | 12,780.25 | +0.47% | −0.34% |
| 2021 (Thu, 4 Nov) | 17,829.20 | 17,935.05 | 17,916.80 | +0.49% | −0.10% |
| 2022 (Mon, 24 Oct) | 17,576.30 | 17,736.35 | 17,730.75 | +0.88% | −0.03% |
| 2023 (Sun, 12 Nov) | 19,425.35 | 19,547.25 | 19,525.55 | +0.52% | −0.11% |
| 2024 (Fri, 1 Nov) | 24,205.35 | 24,302.75 | 24,304.35 | +0.41% | +0.01% |
| 2025 (Tue, 21 Oct) | 25,843.15 | 25,901.20 | 25,868.60 | +0.10% | −0.13% |
The headline number is the change from the previous close. On that measure the Nifty rose in 11 of 14 sessions (average +0.27%, median +0.39%), from −0.63% in 2017 to +0.88% in 2022. That is the “muhurat is auspicious” story.
Look inside the session and it changes. The Nifty opened above the previous close in 13 of 14 years (in 2017 it opened half a point lower), so most of the gain was in place by the first trade. It then closed below its own opening level in 13 of 14 sessions. The only exception is 2024, when it closed 0.01% above the open. The average open-to-close move was −0.23%. On ordinary trading days over the same period (3,178 days), the Nifty closed below its open about 53% of the time.
One reading is that festive optimism shows up in the opening auction and fades through the hour. That is a story, not a finding: it rests on 14 observations and the fade averaged under a quarter of one percent.
Next trading day, next month, next 12 months: does it predict anything?
| Year | Session close | Next trading day | About 1 month later | About 12 months later |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 5,666.95 | −0.63% | +3.26% | +5.69% |
| 2013 | 6,317.35 | −1.02% | −1.83% | +31.77% |
| 2014 | 8,014.55 | −0.29% | +6.43% | +3.50% |
| 2015 | 7,825.00 | −0.80% | −2.74% | +6.02% |
| 2016 | 8,625.70 | +0.01% | −4.65% | +20.15% |
| 2017 | 10,146.55 | +0.38% | +1.50% | +1.55% |
| 2018 | 10,598.40 | −0.12% | +0.90% | +13.34% |
| 2019 | 11,627.15 | +1.37% | +4.07% | +2.26% |
| 2020 | 12,780.25 | +0.74% | +6.09% | +41.70% |
| 2021 | 17,916.80 | +0.85% | −5.61% | +1.12% |
| 2022 | 17,730.75 | −0.42% | +4.25% | +7.85% |
| 2023 | 19,525.55 | −0.42% | +7.07% | +22.32% |
| 2024 | 24,304.35 | −1.27% | −0.12% | +6.00% |
| 2025 | 25,868.60 | +0.09% | +0.77% | −11.82% |
| Window | Muhurat: times up | Muhurat: average | Muhurat: median | Any start day: share up | Any start day: average | Any start day: median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Same day, open to close | 1 of 14 | −0.23% | −0.17% | 47% | −0.06% | −0.05% |
| Next trading day | 6 of 14 | −0.11% | −0.20% | 54% | +0.05% | +0.07% |
| About 1 month | 9 of 14 | +1.39% | +1.20% | 62% | +1.06% | +1.22% |
| About 12 months | 13 of 14 | +10.82% | +6.01% | 82% | +12.84% | +10.86% |
Next trading day: up 6 times in 14, average −0.11%. One month: up 9 in 14, average +1.39%, close to what any start date gave. Twelve months: up 13 in 14, but the median was +6.01%, below the +10.86% median you would have got by starting on a random trading day. The extremes show why the average misleads. The windows after 2013 and 2020 caught the 2014 rally and the post-Covid recovery (+31.8% and +41.7%), while the 2025 session to 21 October 2026 returned −11.82%. A muhurat start is no insurance.
Why 14 data points cannot prove a pattern
- Tiny sample. One observation a year, 14 years. One more year could move any average noticeably.
- Many comparisons. I looked at five windows. One of them, the intraday fade, stood out. Chance produces a standout like that fairly often when you test several things.
- The year does the work. A 12-month return mostly reflects what markets did that year, not the day you started.
- Price returns only. The Nifty’s dividend yield was roughly 1% to 1.5% in NSE’s own files, so 12-month total returns were higher by about that much.
Rules that catch people out
- Pre-open is short and rigid. You can place, change or cancel market and limit orders from 2:05 pm to 2:10 pm. From 2:10 pm to 2:15 pm only limit orders can be placed or changed, and market orders can no longer be modified or cancelled. The order entry window closes at a random moment in its last two minutes.
- Use limit orders. A market order fills at whatever the order book offers, and during pre-open you cannot change it after 2:10 pm. A limit order caps the price you pay.
- Closing auction stocks stop early. For stocks covered by the closing auction, continuous trading ends at 3:15 pm. After that, orders go into the auction window from 3:20 pm to 3:30 pm.
- Trades are real. NSE’s circular says all trades in the session result in settlement obligations. Shares you buy in delivery mode reach your demat account on the normal T+1 cycle, and you cannot sell delivery shares you do not hold.
- Brokerage and charges. The circulars announce no fee waiver or special charge schedule, so assume your broker’s usual brokerage and the statutory charges apply, and read your broker’s notice.
- Margins and product types. Intraday and margin rules during the session are set by your broker, not the exchange. Check whether yours has issued a muhurat notice before 8 November.
What long-term investors can do instead
The data above supports a dull conclusion: you do not need an auspicious hour. Starting on any day from 2012 to 2025 gave a positive 12-month return 82% of the time, so the habit of investing regularly matters more than the date you begin.
- Keep your SIP date. If your SIP falls on Sunday 8 November it moves to the next business day, as it does on any holiday. See why the returns you get can differ from the ones funds advertise in our SIP versus advertised returns gap analysis.
- Use Diwali to rebalance, not to time. A yearly review of your equity, debt and gold split is a better use of the festival than a symbolic one-share trade.
- Check what you buy for Dhanteras. Costs and taxes differ a lot between gold forms, as our Dhanteras gold comparison of ETFs, digital gold and physical gold shows.
- Know the norm. For context on how Indian households actually save and invest, see our Indian personal finance statistics hub.
If you do want to trade on the day, treat it as a small, deliberate act: a quantity you would be comfortable holding for years, bought with a limit order.
FAQs
Is the stock market open on Diwali 2026?
Not for normal trading. Diwali Laxmi Pujan falls on Sunday 8 November 2026, so the regular market is closed, but NSE and BSE hold a special muhurat session that day. Tuesday 10 November is a trading holiday for Diwali-Balipratipada.
What is the muhurat trading time on 8 November 2026?
On NSE, equity pre-open runs from 2:05 pm to 2:20 pm and the normal market from 2:20 pm to 3:30 pm. Stocks in the closing auction stop continuous trading at 3:15 pm. Futures and options trade until 3:40 pm.
Can I do delivery trades in muhurat trading?
Yes. NSE’s circular says all trades in the session result in settlement obligations, so delivery shares you buy are credited on the normal settlement cycle. What your broker allows for intraday or margin products is the broker’s rule, so check its notice.
Is muhurat trading profitable?
Not reliably. Across the 14 sessions from 2012 to 2025 the Nifty 50 rose versus the previous close 11 times, but closed below its own opening level 13 times. Twelve-month returns after the session had a median of +6.01%, below the +10.86% median for any start date. Fourteen observations cannot prove a pattern.
Are muhurat trades settled?
Yes. They are normal trades with normal settlement obligations, not mock trades. Delivery buys appear in your demat account and sales need shares you already hold.
Sources and method
- NSE circulars of 19 October 2026: equity, NSE/CMTR/76941, futures and options, NSE/FAOP/76940, currency derivatives, NSE/CD/76972 and commodity derivatives, NSE/COM/76978.
- NSE trading holidays for 2026 (circular NSE/DS/71968, 23 December 2025).
- Business Today, Muhurat Trading 2026: NSE, BSE announce Diwali timings (19 October 2026), for the BSE schedule; and its 21 October 2025 session report for last year’s timing.
- NSE daily index closing files (ind_close_all, one file per date) for the 14 muhurat dates and for each forward date used. Baseline: daily Nifty 50 closes, 13 November 2012 to 21 October 2025, which matched NSE’s closing values on all 42 forward dates I compared.
Disclaimer: this article is for education only and is not investment advice. Past index behaviour does not predict future returns. Check timings on nseindia.com and bseindia.com before you trade, as exchanges can revise them.
