India's NSE and BSE will open for a special Diwali Muhurat trading session on Sunday, November 8, 2026, but the afternoon has different closing times for different instruments. NSE's detailed schedule gives shares covered by its closing auction an earlier end to continuous trading than other shares, while equity derivatives trade longer.

The session falls on Diwali Lakshmi Pujan, rather than a normal working Sunday. Business Standard's report on the exchanges' announcements confirms the special opening at both venues and the tradition of marking the new Samvat year. The practical details matter because the session creates ordinary financial obligations despite its ceremonial setting.

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NSE's cash and derivatives clocks differ

Under NSE's October 19 capital-market circular, the pre-open begins at 2:05 p.m. IST, or 08:35 UTC. Continuous trading starts at 2:20 p.m. IST, or 08:50 UTC. For shares outside the closing auction session, known as CAS, normal trading ends at 3:30 p.m. IST, or 10:00 UTC.

CAS securities leave continuous trading at 3:15 p.m. IST. Reference-price calculation follows until 3:20 p.m., then auction order entry runs until 3:30 p.m., subject to random closure near the end. Matching and confirmation follow until 3:35 p.m. The post-close session is scheduled for 3:50–4:00 p.m. IST. Those stages should not be confused with an uninterrupted trading window for every share.

NSE's separate futures-and-options circular sets continuous trading at 2:20–3:40 p.m. IST, equivalent to 08:50–10:10 UTC. It also schedules an update to stock and index futures price bands at 3:15 p.m. to align with the cash-market closing auction.

Monday settlement, with broker-specific restrictions

NSE Clearing's settlement notice places the November 8 cash-market trades in a Monday, November 9 settlement, with pay-in at 4:30 p.m. and pay-out at 9:00 p.m. IST. Friday's November 6 trades settle separately that Monday, with earlier pay-in and pay-out times. These are clearing-system timings, rather than a promise about when an individual broker makes money withdrawable.

Broker arrangements add another layer. In its November 5 customer notice, Angel One says November 6 after-market orders will queue for the Muhurat session. It will not permit shares bought that Friday to be sold in the Sunday session, will not execute stock SIP orders during it, and will not process a Sunday fund payout. These are the broker's stated arrangements and should not be treated as universal rules for every platform.

There is also a Saturday account-status deadline. NSE says client codes identified as compliant by 10:00 p.m. IST on November 7, or 16:30 UTC, will be permitted to trade in the special session. The circulars establish when trading and settlement happen; they do not predict a Diwali gain in share prices.

Schedule checked on November 7, 2026, at 09:07 UTC / 2:37 p.m. IST. NSE-specific auction and settlement details are identified above.

Prepared with AI assistance. The lead image is an AI-generated conceptual illustration, not a photograph of an actual event.