The pre-open market would be open from 9am to 9.08am, while normal trading runs from 9.15am to 3.30pm.Also read | Budget 2026 could be presented on a Sunday, a first since 2000: what does this mean for investors and markets?
“Trading members may note that trading in T+0 Settlement Session and Auction Session due to default will not take place on Sunday, February 1, 2026,” BSE said in a circular.
In addition to the equity segment, F&O and commodity derivatives would also be open on D-Day.
The stock markets are closed every Saturday and Sunday, with the exception of some public holidays. It would probably be the first time in recent history that Dalal Street will have a working Sunday. It is also the first time since 2000 that the Union budget will be presented in Parliament on a Sunday. Earlier in 2025, Sitharaman had presented Budget on Saturday, and Budget 2015, led by Arun Jaitley, was also presented on Saturday, February 28, 2015.
Union Budget 2026: Holiday calendar for the stock market
Besides weekends, BSE and NSE have 16 public holidays, including last Thursday’s holiday due to the civic polls in Mumbai. January 26 would be the second market holiday this month.
Major closures in the first half of the year are Holi on March 3, Ram Navami on March 26, Mahavir Jayanti on March 31 and Good Friday on April 3. The markets will also remain closed on Ambedkar Jayanti on April 14, Maharashtra Day on May 1 and Bakri Id on May 28.
In the second half of the year, trading will be suspended on Muharram on June 26, Ganesh Chaturthi on September 14 and Gandhi Jayanti on October 2. This will be followed by Dussehra on October 20, Diwali Balipratipada on November 10 and Guru Nanak Jayanti on November 24. The last market holiday of 2026 is Christmas on December 25.
Yesterday’s market holiday drew the ire of Zerodha co-founder Nithin Kamath, who criticized the decision to keep the market closed due to local municipal elections.
“The fact that our exchanges, which have international ties, have been closed due to local municipal elections shows poor planning and a serious lack of appreciation for second-order effects,” he said, adding that no one who matters has any reason to oppose the market holiday.
Budget expectations for 2026
After $21 billion of brutal selling by foreign institutional investors (FIIs) since early 2025, Indian equity strategists are increasingly turning to the Union Budget as a potential pivot point. Morgan Stanley’s Ridham Desai, who heads the firm’s Indian equity strategy team, said there are growing concerns over negative BoP and FPI sales.
In this context, it is entirely possible that the Budget proposes to broaden the base of foreign portfolio investors to allow more capital pools to access Indian equities, Desai said in a Budget Strategy Note.
The two other reforms could be about simplifying the purchase tax, which currently threatens to distort capital structures, harming long-term flows to capital markets and further increasing tax benefits at Gift City, he said.
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