Muhurat trading 2026: date, timing and how it works

Muhurat trading is a special one-hour stock market session held on Diwali. Many Indian investors see it as a good-luck start to the new Hindu financial year. In this article, you will learn the muhurat trading 2026 date and timing, how the session works, how settlement happens and a few points to keep in mind.

In short: Muhurat trading 2026 will be held on Sunday, 8 November 2026, on Diwali (Laxmi Pujan). As per the NSE circular dated 19 October 2026, the pre-open session starts at 2:05 PM and normal trading runs from 2:20 PM to 3:30 PM. Trades made in this session are normal trades, so they carry the usual settlement obligations.

"Muhurat" means an auspicious time in Hindi. Muhurat trading is a short trading session that the NSE and BSE hold on Diwali, at a time chosen as auspicious.

Diwali marks the start of a new Samvat year in the Hindu calendar. Many traders and business families treat it as the start of their new financial year. They open new account books, which is a tradition called "Chopda Pujan". Placing a small trade during muhurat trading is a way of marking a fresh start.

With Diwali 2026, Samvat 2083 begins.

Keep in mind that muhurat trading is a tradition and a belief. It does not guarantee profits. Prices can go up or down in this session, just like on any other day.

Here is the muhurat trading 2026 schedule for the NSE equity segment, as per NSE circular NSE/CMTR/76941 dated 19 October 2026.

Within the pre-open session, as per the NSE circular:

• Orders can be placed from 2:05 PM. After 2:10 PM, only limit orders are accepted.

• Order matching takes place from 2:15 PM to 2:17 PM.

• A short buffer runs until 2:20 PM, when normal trading starts.

For stocks that are part of the closing auction session (CAS), normal trading ends at 3:15 PM. The closing auction then takes orders from 3:20 PM to 3:30 PM, with matching from 3:30 PM to 3:35 PM. For all other stocks, normal trading ends at 3:30 PM.

The BSE has issued its own notice for its sessions. Timings for derivatives, currency and commodity segments are in separate circulars and may differ.

In many past years, muhurat trading was held in the evening. In 2026, the session is in the afternoon.

Muhurat trading works much like a normal trading day, only shorter.

You can buy and sell shares, and trade in other segments, just like on any trading day. You use the same trading app or website and the same demat account and trading account.

The pre-open session collects buy and sell orders before trading starts. The exchange then finds a price at which the most shares can change hands. This becomes the opening price of the stock for the session.

From 2:20 PM to 3:30 PM, orders are matched as they come in, like on a normal day.

Trades made during muhurat trading are real trades. They carry normal settlement obligations.

• If you buy shares for delivery, you must have the money in your account, and the shares will come to your demat account as per the normal settlement cycle (T+1 for equity, which means one working day after the trade).

• If you sell shares, they will be taken from your demat account as per the normal cycle.

• Intraday positions must be closed within the session. Your broker may square off open intraday positions before the session ends.

Since the session is on a Sunday and the next days may be holidays (see the holiday calendar), the settlement date will follow the next working days. Check with your broker for exact dates.

The main difference is time. Everything that happens in a full day is squeezed into a little over an hour.

The steps are the same as on any other day. Here is a simple walk-through.

• Log in early. Open your trading app or website a few minutes before the pre-open session starts at 2:05 PM. Apps can be slow when many people log in at once.

• Check your balance. See that you have enough funds for a purchase, or that the shares you want to sell are in your demat account.

• Choose the order type. In the pre-open window after 2:10 PM, only limit orders are accepted. A limit order is also a safer choice once normal trading starts.

• Enter the price and quantity. Type the exact price you are willing to pay or accept, and the number of shares.

• Choose delivery or intraday. Delivery means you plan to hold the shares. Intraday means you plan to close the trade within the session.

• Place the order and check its status. See whether it is "executed", "pending" or "rejected" in your order book.

• Check your contract note. Your broker will send a contract note for every trade. Keep it for your records.

If an order stays pending when the session ends, it will not carry forward to the next day, just like a normal day order.

Many kinds of investors join the session:

• Long-term investors who make a small, symbolic purchase to start the new year.

• Traders who trade during the session.

• Business families who mark the day as part of their Diwali tradition.

There is no rule that you must trade in muhurat trading. It is completely your choice

A short holiday session behaves a little differently from a normal day.

• The session is short: You get only about 70 minutes of normal trading. Prices can move fast, and there is little time to react.

• Volumes can be thin: Fewer people trade in a short Sunday session than on a normal day. With fewer buyers and sellers, prices of some stocks can jump around more than usual. The gap between the buy price and the sell price (the bid-ask spread) can also be wider.

• Limit orders can help: A limit order lets you set the most you will pay or the least you will accept. In a short, thin session, a limit order can protect you from buying or selling at a price far from what you expected.

• Do not trade only because of the date: The tradition is about a fresh start. It is not a reason to buy any stock you have not studied. Decide based on your own research and goals, not on the festive mood.

• Past muhurat sessions do not predict the future: You may see news about how the market did in past muhurat sessions. Those moves were often small, and they tell you nothing certain about the next session or the year ahead. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

• Check your funds and holdings in advance: Make sure your account has enough funds for buying, and your shares are free for selling, before the session starts. With so little time, last-minute issues can make you miss the window.

• Note the timings: pre-open 2:05 PM, normal trading 2:20 PM to 3:30 PM.

• Log in a few minutes before 2:05 PM.

• Keep your funds ready for any purchase.

• Consider limit orders, with your price decided in advance.

• Remember that trades settle like normal trades.

• Keep the trade size within what you are comfortable with.

Muhurat trading 2026 is on Sunday, 8 November 2026. The pre-open session starts at 2:05 PM and normal trading runs from 2:20 PM to 3:30 PM, as per the NSE circular dated 19 October 2026. It is a normal trading session with normal settlement, held as a Diwali tradition to mark the start of Samvat 2083. Treat it as a symbolic start, not as a sign of what the market will do.

Ans. Muhurat trading in 2026 is on Sunday, 8 November 2026, on Diwali (Laxmi Pujan). The NSE announced the schedule through a circular dated 19 October 2026.

Ans. As per the NSE circular, the pre-open session runs from 2:05 PM to 2:20 PM, and normal trading runs from 2:20 PM to 3:30 PM. For stocks in the closing auction session, normal trading ends at 3:15 PM, followed by the closing auction.

Ans. Yes. Trades made during muhurat trading are normal trades with normal settlement obligations. Shares you buy for delivery come to your demat account as per the usual settlement cycle, adjusted for holidays.

Ans. Yes, you can trade intraday during the session. But all intraday positions must be closed within the short session, and your broker may square off open positions before it ends.

Ans. No. Muhurat trading is a tradition, and many people see it as an auspicious start. It does not guarantee profits. Prices can rise or fall in this session, just like on any other day.

Facts and rules verified as of 30 October 2026.

• NSE circular NSE/CMTR/76941 (Circular Ref. No. 149/2026), "Muhurat Trading session on account of Diwali", dated 19 October 2026.

• NSE: market timings and the pre-open session mechanism.

• SEBI: T+1 settlement cycle for the equity segment.