Indian stock exchanges shut for Dussehra on 20 October

The Indian equity markets will not trade on Tuesday, 20 October as the day is declared a holiday for the Dussehra festival. The National Stock Exchange (NSE) and the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) have marked the date as a non‑trading day in their 2026 calendar. Trading in cash equities, equity derivatives and the currency market will be suspended for the whole day, with normal activity set to resume on Wednesday, 21 October. The securities‑lending‑and‑borrowing (SLB) segment will also be paused. The Multi Commodity Exchange of India (MCX) will stay closed during the morning session but will reopen for trading in the evening after the festival break. The Dussehra break is followed by three more exchange holidays this year: 10 November for Diwali‑Balipratipada, 24 November for Guru Nanak Jayanti and 25 December for Christmas. A special Muhurat‑trading session for Diwali Laxmi Pujan is planned on Sunday, 8 November, with timings to be announced later. On Monday, the Sensex fell 470.50 points to 74,318 and the Nifty dropped 147.10 points to 22,999.05 in early trade, but both indices later clawed back most of the loss, ending 46.49 points lower at 74,682.78 and 14.55 points lower at 23,131.60 respectively. The rebound was helped by buying in State Bank of India and Reliance Industries and fresh foreign fund inflows, while losses in Axis Bank and HDFC Bank limited the gains.

Context

Dussehra is a major Indian festival celebrating the triumph of good over evil, and stock exchanges typically close on such public holidays. The scheduled breaks affect trading cycles, so investors adjust positions before the market shuts for the day.