Stock Market Holiday: Are NSE, BSE trading closed or open today for Union Budget 2026?

Indian stock markets are open for trading today, Sunday, February 1, as the Union Budget 2026 will be presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Despite being a non-working day for most businesses, trading will continue across equity and commodity markets to allow investors to react in real time to budget announcements. Both the NSE and the BSE are conducting a full trading session, following their regular weekday schedule. This makes February 1 a rare exception in the Indian market calendar, with live trading on a Sunday.

The decision to keep markets open stems from the government's choice to present the Union Budget on a weekend. This is only the second time in India's post-Independence history that stock markets are open on a Sunday.

Stock market timings today

The equity markets are operating with standard timings. The pre-open session began at 9 am and concluded at 9:08 am, allowing price discovery before the main session. Regular trading is taking place from 9:15 am to 3:30 pm, followed by the trade modification window, which will remain open until 4:15 pm.

Finance Minister Sitharaman is scheduled to begin her budget speech at 11 am. This will be her ninth consecutive Union Budget presentation, and the third full Budget of the Modi 3.O government.

Historically, budget day movements in the Indian stock market have been less dramatic than commonly expected. Over the past 15 years, the Nifty's average movement on Budget Day has been just 0.19%, indicating that markets often digest policy announcements over time rather than reacting sharply on the day itself.

Commodity markets also open
The Multi Commodity Exchange of India (MCX) is also open for trading today in a special session. MCX is operating as per its usual timings, with the pre-open session running from 8:45 am to 8:59 am, followed by the normal trading session from 9 am to 5 pm. Client code modifications will be permitted until 5:15 pm.

What investors are watching
Markets are entering Budget Day amid weak sentiment. The Nifty has declined over 2% in January and is down around 1.5% in the fortnight leading up to the Budget. Investors are cautious due to global uncertainties, a weaker rupee, foreign investor outflows, and limited visibility on global trade developments.

Given this backdrop, analysts believe expectations from the Budget are modest. Markets are largely hoping for policy continuity, fiscal discipline, and clarity on capital expenditure rather than big-ticket announcements. Historically, a "no negative surprise" Budget has often been enough to stabilise markets when sentiment is fragile.

With trading open today, investors have the opportunity to respond immediately as Budget 2026 unfolds, making this Sunday session an important one despite the subdued expectations.

(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of Economic Times)