Mumbai: In an unusual move aligned with the Union Budget schedule, India’s leading stock exchanges — BSE and NSE — will conduct regular live trading on Sunday, February 1, 2026, instead of observing their usual weekend holiday, officials said in exchange circulars issued on Friday.
The special session comes as Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman prepares to present the Union Budget 2026-27 in Parliament on February 1, a Sunday this year — the first time since 2000 that the budget falls on a weekend. This prompted exchanges to declare a working Sunday to allow market participants to respond immediately to policy announcements.
According to the circulars, the pre-open market will begin at 9:00 am, followed by normal trading from 9:15 am to 3:30 pm IST, with both the equity segment and derivatives (F&O and commodity) markets active during the session. Exchange authorities clarified that T+0 settlement sessions and auction sessions for settlement default will not be conducted on that day.
Market participants and analysts said the move offers investors the ability to instantly price in budgetary measures on sectors such as infrastructure, taxation and fiscal incentives, without waiting for Monday trading. Keeping the market open may also help reduce sharp opening gaps and improve real-time price discovery.
While stock markets normally remain closed on Saturdays and Sundays, this rare adjustment to the holiday calendar underscores the importance of the Union Budget as a catalyst for market sentiment and investment strategy, particularly for institutional and retail traders alike.