With the Union Budget 2025 set to be presented on Saturday, questions are rising about whether the Indian stock markets will remain open for trading. As per usual, Indian stock exchanges observe weekends off, with trading taking place only from Monday to Friday. Public holidays and special occasions also lead to market closures. However, this year’s Budget Day falls on a Saturday, and market participants are curious to know if there will be an exception.

The Indian stock market typically shuts its doors on Saturdays and Sundays. With a regular trading week spanning five days, the markets are closed on public holidays and during significant events in Mumbai, where the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and the National Stock Exchange (NSE) are headquartered. At the beginning of each year, the NSE publishes a list of holidays, which includes scheduled breaks for elections or festivals. Despite these regular closures, this Saturday, will see a deviation from the norm.

In a rare move, the NSE has confirmed that a special trading session will be held on Budget Day. This session will follow the usual trading hours, running from 9:15 AM to 3:30 PM. While it is uncommon for the stock market to open on a Saturday, the Budget Day sessions have historically been an exception. Previous instances, such as February 1, 2020, and February 28, 2015, saw stock trading take place on Saturdays due to the Union Budget being presented.

The special session on Budget Day will be structured as follows:

- Block Deal Meeting 1: 8:45 AM to 9:00 AM

- Special Pre-Open Session (for IPOs and relisted securities): 9:00 AM to 9:45 AM

- Call Auction Illiquid Session: 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM

- Block Deal Session 2: 2:05 PM to 2:20 PM

- Post-Closing Session: 3:40 PM to 4:00 PM

- Trade Modification Cutoff Time: 4:15 PM

The Union Budget is a critical event that can stir the economy, influencing the allocation of funds across various sectors. The budget announcements often lead to substantial market volatility, as investors react to the government's plans for income and expenditure in the coming year. Traders, particularly those involved in intraday trading, are likely to capitalize on the market fluctuations triggered by the Budget Day announcements.

The last time a similar situation occurred was during the Interim Budget on July 23, 2024, when the Sensex dropped by 70 points and the Nifty fell by 30 points. Market participants will be closely watching for any shifts in the market sentiment this time, as the government’s budgetary decisions are unveiled.