Stock Markets Closed Today For Dussehra While MCX Operates Evening Session

Indian stock markets are closed today for the Dussehra festival, halting all regular trading sessions across both the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange.

Trading Hours

Investors cannot buy or sell shares in the equity market or other segments today. Normal trading will resume tomorrow on Wednesday, October 21st. Meanwhile, the Multi Commodity Exchange is closed only during the morning shift from nine in the morning to five in the evening, but evening trading for precious metals and other contracts will function normally from five onward.

Market Background

This closure follows a sharp decline in the previous trading session where the BSE Sensex fell by 876.38 points to close at 73,852.90, and the NSE Nifty dropped 257.20 points to close at 22,888.95. Earlier in October, markets also remained closed on the second of the month for Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti.

Upcoming Holidays

Looking ahead at the remaining holiday calendar for 2026, the exchanges will stay closed on November 10th for Diwali-Bali Pratipada, November 24th for Guru Nanak Dev Ji's Prakash Gurpurab, and December 25th for Christmas. On Diwali, a special one-hour Muhurat Trading session will take place in the afternoon starting at 2:20 PM.

Context

Stock exchanges publish holiday calendars in advance every year so that institutional and retail investors can manage their open positions and plan transactions without disruptions. Commodity exchanges often follow different timings than equity markets, allowing evening trade even on certain holidays.