Muhurat trading 2026 time: NSE, BSE set Sunday 8 November session, 2:20 to 3:30 PM, with a closing auction for the first time

Short answer: Muhurat trading 2026 is on Sunday, 8 November, Diwali Laxmi Pujan. The normal market runs from 2:20 PM to 3:30 PM IST, with a pre-open session from 2:05 PM. NSE and BSE notified the timings in circulars dated Monday, 19 October 2026. Until then, NSE's holiday page had only said the timings would be "notified subsequently."

Muhurat trading 2026 time: the schedule that matters

Most people need three times: the pre-open (2:05 PM), the open (2:20 PM) and the close (3:30 PM, or 3:15 PM for stocks in the closing auction). Here's the full cash-market schedule from NSE circular NSE/CMTR/76941:

1. 1:50 PM

   Block deal window opens (to 2:05 PM).

2. 2:05 PM

   Pre-open order entry opens for limit and market orders. Special pre-open for IPO and relisted shares also starts (to 2:50 PM).

3. 2:10 PM

   Only limit orders from here; market orders can't be modified or cancelled. Pre-open closes at a random moment in the last 2 minutes before 2:15 PM.

4. 2:15 to 2:20 PM

   Pre-open order matching (to 2:17 PM), then a buffer period.

5. 2:20 PM

   Normal market opens for equity and F&O. Muhurat trading begins.

6. 3:15 PM

   Continuous trading ends for closing-auction (CAS) stocks; the reference price is set 3:15 to 3:20 PM.

7. 3:20 to 3:30 PM

   Closing auction order entry (limit orders only after 3:25 PM, random close in the last 2 minutes). Non-CAS stocks close at 3:30 PM.

8. 3:30 to 3:35 PM

   Closing auction matching and trade confirmation.

9. 3:40 PM

   F&O continuous trading closes.

10. 3:50 to 4:00 PM

    Post-close session in the cash market.

The times above are from NSE's circulars. We couldn't confirm MCX's Muhurat timings when we checked at about 7:55 PM IST on 19 October, so if you trade gold or crude on MCX, check its circulars before the day.

What's different this year: the closing auction

This is the first Muhurat session since the closing auction session (CAS) started on 3 August 2026. On a normal day it applies to stocks that have derivatives (ET Now). The exchange ends the day for those stocks with a short auction that sets the closing price.

On 8 November, that means:

• CAS stocks stop continuous trading at 3:15 PM. If you want to buy a large-cap F&O stock "in the Muhurat," your normal-market window is 55 minutes (2:20 to 3:15 PM), not the 70 minutes in the headline.
• The auction runs from 3:20 to 3:35 PM. You can place limit and market orders until 3:25 PM, then only limit orders until 3:30 PM, and the order-entry window shuts at a random moment in the last two minutes. Market orders can't be changed or cancelled after 3:25 PM.
• The reference price for CAS stocks is the volume-weighted average price of trades between 3:00 and 3:15 PM, calculated before the auction starts (ET Now, Business Today).
• F&O runs 10 minutes longer than the cash market, until 3:40 PM, and futures price bands are realigned with the cash market at 3:15 PM, per NSE/FAOP/76940.

What it means for your money

• These are real trades. NSE says every trade in the session results in settlement obligations. A Muhurat buy is a normal delivery or intraday trade, with the same charges.
• Use limit orders. The session is short and trading can be thin, so prices can jump. Both auction windows switch to limit-only orders in their final minutes anyway.
• Check your broker's square-off time. Brokers set their own intraday auto square-off times for special sessions. Look for your broker's Muhurat notice before you trade intraday or F&O.
• Plan around the 10 November holiday. Tuesday, 10 November (Diwali Balipratipada) is a full trading holiday, so the week after Diwali has one fewer trading day.

How last year's session went

Muhurat trading 2025 was held on Tuesday, 21 October 2025, from 1:45 to 2:45 PM. It opened Samvat 2082 quietly: the Sensex closed at 84,426.34, up 62.97 points, and the Nifty at 25,868.60, up 25.45 (The Hindu). This year's session starts later in the afternoon and runs 10 minutes longer, partly because the closing auction needs its own slot at the end.

Muhurat trading in the last 10 years: small moves, mostly up

The question people search most this month is how the session has gone before. The short version: the Nifty closed higher in 9 of the last 11 Muhurat sessions, and the moves were small, from −0.63% to +0.88%.

2015–2024 from HDFC Sky's Muhurat trading history; 2025 from The Hindu.

Our read: a one-hour festive session with light volumes tells you very little about the year ahead. Even the best session in this table, 2022, added less than 1%, and a 0.1% move like 2025's is within normal noise for any hour of trading. Treat the session as a tradition, not a signal.

BSE began the Muhurat tradition in 1957, and NSE followed in 1992 (Business Today). The session marks the start of the new Samvat year, 2083 this time, and investors treat it as an auspicious time to buy shares for the long term (Business Today).

For the rest of the market calendar, see our Dussehra market holiday explainer and the bank holiday list for October and November.

We explain market rules and calendars. This isn't investment advice.