India stock market trading hour changes take effect

In late July 2026 Indian regulators announced that Futures and Options (F&O) contracts would trade until 3:40 p.m., extending the previous 3:30 p.m. deadline, and that a Closing Auction Session (CAS) would replace the volume‑weighted‑average‑price method for determining the official close of F&O‑linked stocks. The pre‑open session was also revised, with order entry from 9:00 a.m., matching at 9:07 a.m., and regular trading starting at 9:15 a.m.; non‑F&O equities would continue to close at 3:30 p.m.

Effective 3 August 2026, SEBI implemented the changes. Regular trading for F&O‑eligible stocks ends at 3:15 p.m., followed by a five‑minute transition (3:15‑3:20 p.m.). The CAS runs from 3:20 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in two order‑entry phases, after which order matching occurs (3:30‑3:35 p.m.) and the auction price becomes the official closing price. The F&O trading window now closes at 3:40 p.m. SEBI said the reforms aim to improve price discovery, increase liquidity, reduce tracking errors for passive funds and align India’s market structure with global best practices.