Share Market Time in India
Posted by : sachet | Mon Mar 31 2025
Understanding of the share market time in India is critical for institutions and individuals dealing in trading or investment in the financial markets. The Indian stock exchanges, that is, the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), function based on clearly specified trading hours governed by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
This article presents a complete guide to the stock market open time, share market close time, and the designated timings for equity cash, equity futures, and equity options segments. This knowledge is vital to achieve efficient execution of trades, understand price actions, and invest wisely.’
Share Market Time Overview
Share market functions in India happen on weekdays (Monday to Friday), and business is not carried out on holidays or weekends. A trading day is segmented into the following important sessions:
- Pre-opening Session
- Regular Trading Session
- Post-closing Session
These sessions largely relate to the equity cash and equity derivatives categories. Let’s discuss each of these sessions.
Pre-Opening Session: 9:00 AM to 9:15 AM IST
Pre-opening session is held to find the opening price of the securities for the normal trading session. This phase adds to market stability by minimizing volatility at market opening.
Detailed Breakdown
| Sub-phase | Time (IST) | Description |
| Order Entry Period | 9:00 AM – 9:08 AM | Traders are permitted to enter, change, or cancel orders. |
| Order Matching & Confirmation | 9:08 AM – 9:12 AM | Orders are matched, and opening price is found utilizing equilibrium price. |
| Buffer Period | 9:12 AM – 9:15 AM | System checks and roll over to the normal market session. |
Note: The pre-opening session holds for equities but not futures and options.
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Regular Trading Session (Share Market Open Time to Share Market Close Time)
It is the main window for the trading of equities, equity futures, and equity options.
Equity Segment (Cash Market)
| Session | Timing (IST) | Description |
| Share Market Open Time | 9:15 AM | Actual trading for all listed equity instruments commences. |
| Share Market Close Time | 3:30 PM | Trading closes for the equity segment. |
During this time, orders are constantly matched price-time priority with the anonymous order-driven system. This session is very liquid and allows trading in shares, Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs), REITs, InvITs, and Sovereign Gold Bonds (SGBs).
The share market open time is 9:15 AM IST, and the share market close time is 3:30 PM IST.
Equity Derivatives: Futures and Options
The equity derivatives market includes Index Futures, Stock Futures, Index Options, and Stock Options. The futures and options timings are aligned with the equity cash market to provide consistency.
Equity Futures Timings
| Segment | Share Market Open Time | Share Market Close Time |
| Index Futures | 9:15 AM IST | 3:30 PM IST |
| Stock Futures | 9:15 AM IST | 3:30 PM IST |
Equity Options Timings
| Segment | Share Market Open Time | Share Market Close Time |
| Index Futures | 9:15 AM IST | 3:30 PM IST |
| Stock Futures | 9:15 AM IST | 3:30 PM IST |
Both trading in equity futures and options close at 3:30 PM IST. After-market trading for these products is not available. The stock market open time and the stock market close time for both futures as well as options, are is 9:15 AM and 3:30 PM, respectively.
Post-Closing Session: 3:40 PM to 4:00 PM IST
Once the normal session closes at 3:30 PM, there is a short post-closing session in which investors can place an order at the closing security price
Major Phases
| Sub-session | Share Market Time (IST) | Description |
| Closing Price Calculation | 3:30 PM – 3:40 PM | VWAP-based closing prices are computed for securities. |
| Post-Closing Order Session | 3:40 PM – 4:00 PM | Traders can place orders at the closing price; orders get executed if matched. |
This session is accessible solely to participants of the equity cash market and is not extended to derivatives (options and futures).
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Summary of Share Market Timings (All Segments)
Equity Segment (Cash Market)
| Session | Share Market Time (IST) |
| Pre-Opening Session | 9:00 AM – 9:15 AM |
| Regular Trading Session | 9:15 AM – 3:30 PM |
| Post-Closing Session | 3:40 PM – 4:00 PM |
Equity Futures and Options
| Instrument | Share Market Open Time | Share Market Close Time |
| Stock Futures | 9:15 AM IST | 3:30 PM IST |
| Index Futures | 9:15 AM IST | 3:30 PM IST |
| Stock Options | 9:15 AM IST | 3:30 PM IST |
| Index Options | 9:15 AM IST | 3:30 PM IST |
Differences Between Share Market Time of Various Segments
The timing structure appears uniform across equity cash and derivatives, but their operational characteristics differs.
| Aspect | Equity Cash | Futures | Options |
| Pre-Open Session | Yes | No | No |
| Intraday Allowed | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Market-to-Market (MTM) | Daily | Daily | Premium Only |
| Risk Profile | Moderate | High | Very High |
Knowing the time-based behavior of each segment can help traders manage risk and strategy execution.
Significance of Share Market Time Understanding
- Effective Trade Execution: Traders are able to execute orders immediately with knowledge of the precise share market open time and share market close time.
- Avoid Liquidity Traps: Buying or selling during quiet periods (the post-close session) can mean bad fills.
- Timely Placement of Orders: The pre-open session provides the early bird option to place orders and have preference at market opening.
- Segment-Specific Planning: Futures and options traders must close positions prior to 3:30 PM because there are no extended hours after this share market time.
Use of Market Timings in Strategy Building
Algorithmic systems and professional traders employ time-based models like:
Opening Range Breakout (ORB): Applies data from 9:15 AM – 9:45 AM.
- Mid-Day Reversals: Target price changes between 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM.
- Closing Range Analysis: Considers action between 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM.
Proper knowledge of share market close time and stock market open time enables the traders to implement these strategies efficiently.
Conclusion
The Indian share market functions in a well-organized time schedule that regulates the equities, futures, and options trading. The share market time starts with the pre-opening period at 9:00 AM IST, followed by the normal session between 9:15 AM IST and 3:30 PM IST, and finally ends with a post-closing period up to 4:00 PM IST (for equities).
For investors and traders, knowing these timings is essential to maximizing performance, managing risks, and conforming with exchange rules. Trading in cash markets, futures, or options, efficient management of share market time is just as important as managing capital.
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FAQs on Share Market Time
1. What is share market time in India?
Ans. Share market time in India is between 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM IST, and it is spread across several sessions. The pre-opening session is at 9:00 AM, normal trading starts at 9:15 AM, and the market closes at 3:30 PM. There is a short post-closing session until 4:00 PM.
2. What is the share market open time?
Ans. The standard share market open time in India is 9:15 AM IST. This is when trading officially begins on both the NSE and BSE exchanges for equities, futures, and options.
3. What is the share market close time?
The close time of the share market in India is 3:30 PM IST for equities, futures, and options. Following this, there is a post-closing session only for the cash segment until 4:00 PM IST.
4. What is the share market open time for futures and options?
The share market open time for equity options and futures is 9:15 AM IST, and share market close time is 3:30 PM IST, which is same as the equity cash market.
5. Is there any trade before 9:15 AM in the share market?
Ans. Yes, pre-opening session is held from 9:00 AM to 9:15 AM IST, and during this time orders are placed, changed, or canceled but no trades are executed; it is done for price discovery.
6. Can I trade in equity options after 3:30 PM?
Ans. No, equity options can be traded only during normal market hours, i.e., between 9:15 AM and 3:30 PM IST. Orders are not permitted to be submitted or amended thereafter.
7. What is the objective of the post-closing session?
Ans. The post-closing session (from 3:40 PM to 4:00 PM IST) enables investors to submit buy/sell orders at the closing price. Such orders will be executed only if matching counter-orders are available at the same price level.
9. Does the share market time change during special events or volatility?
Ans. Usually, share market timings are constant. But in extreme situations like exceptional trading sessions, budget days, or technical disturbances, the exchange can change timings temporarily, pre-notifying the market participants.
