October 31 or November 1? When is the stock market closed for Diwali

Indian stock markets will remain open for trading on Thursday, October 31, despite many celebrating the festival of lights, Diwali, on that day. However, the markets will have a public holiday on November 1, Friday, although they will open for a short time Muhurat trade.

According to Hindu Calendar and Panchang, Deepawali is celebrated on Amavasya Tithi of Krishna Paksha in the month of Kartik and media reports suggest that Amavasya Tithi will prevail on October 31, 2024.

India’s largest commodity exchange, the Multi Commodity Exchange of India (MCX) will also be open for trading on Thursday, while it will remain closed for the morning session (9 am to 5 pm) on November 1. It will resume trading in the second session between pm and 23:30/23:55.

Likewise, the National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX), which is the largest agri commodity exchange in India, will also be open for trading on Thursday at the usual hours. It will be closed on Friday between 9 and 17 and resume trading between 17 and 21.

Diwali Muhurat trade


Stock exchanges NSE and BSE will conduct their annual Diwali Muhurat trading session on Friday, November 1, 2024 from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM, marking the beginning of the Hindu calendar year Samvat 2081.

While the market will be closed for normal trading to mark Diwali, the special trading window will be open only for one hour in the evening. The NSE said the pre-opening session will be conducted from 5:45 pm to 6:00 pm.

This tradition of conducting business during the auspicious one-hour session is based on planetary positions as it is considered auspicious to start new business activities in the glow of diyas and amidst the vibrant colors of rangoli patterns.

Historically, investors have seen positive returns, with the BSE Sensex closing higher in 13 of the last 17 special sessions.

As per the BSE holiday calendar, trading holidays have been announced for 14 days in 2024. Next, they will remain closed on November 15, Friday due to Gurunanak Jayanti and December 25 for Christmas.

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