Indian Stock Exchanges Shut For Dussehra As Markets Reel From Monday Losses

Indian financial markets are closed today, Tuesday, October 20, for the Dussehra festival. Both the National Stock Exchange and the Bombay Stock Exchange remain shut, suspending trading across equity, equity derivatives, currency, and securities lending and borrowing segments. Regular trading operations will resume on Wednesday, October 21. While equity markets stay closed all day, the Multi Commodity Exchange of India suspended trading only for the morning session. Commodity traders can resume activity during the evening session. This closure is part of the official 2026 exchange calendar, which includes three more upcoming market holidays later this year: Diwali-Balipratipada on November 10, Guru Nanak Jayanti on November 24, and Christmas on December 25.

Market Slump

The market holiday follows a sharp drop in Indian benchmark indices on Monday. The BSE Sensex fell 876.37 points, closing at 73,852.90 after dropping up to 1,020.73 points during the session. The NSE Nifty 50 dropped 257.20 points to finish at 22,888.95. Heavy selling in private banks like HDFC Bank and Axis Bank, alongside weak global cues, drove the losses and ended a two-session winning streak. Ajit Mishra, senior vice president of research at Religare Broking, noted that persistent selling in heavyweights across sectors pulled the index down near the day's low. He added that global and domestic macroeconomic worries, such as Brent crude staying high between 107 and 108 dollars per barrel due to geopolitical tensions, continue to weigh on investor sentiment and raise inflation concerns.

Context

Stock exchanges routinely close on major national and religious holidays to align with public holidays and banking closures. Such scheduled breaks give traders a pause, particularly after heavy selling sessions driven by external global factors.