Union Budget 2026: NSE, BSE declare Sunday trading schedule; F&O and commodities also open

In a rare move, the BSE and NSE will remain open for trading on Sunday, February 1, as Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presents the Union Budget.

Both exchanges issued circulars confirming live trading sessions for Budget Day, with regular market hours. The pre-open session will run from 9:00 to 9:08 am, followed by normal trading from 9:15 am to 3:30 pm.

However, the T+0 settlement and auction sessions for default settlements will not be conducted that day, the BSE clarified. Alongside the equity market, trading in F&O and commodity derivatives will also remain open.

This marks the first time since 2000 that the Union Budget will be tabled on a Sunday. Nirmala Sitharaman had presented it on a Saturday in 2025, and in 2015, then Finance Minister Arun Jaitley did the same on February 28.

The Union Budget 2026 will be presented at 11 am on Sunday, February 1, Lok Sabha Speaker confirmed on January 12.

February 1 has become the customary date for the annual Budget in recent years. The 2025 Budget was also tabled on the same date. This year’s presentation will be Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s ninth in a row — one of the longest consecutive Budget runs by any finance minister.

Exchange holidays in 2026

Stock exchanges BSE and NSE have 16 scheduled holidays this year. The most recent was on January 11 due to the Mumbai civic polls, while the next is on January 26 for Republic Day.

In the first half of 2026, markets will remain shut on Holi (March 3), Ram Navami (March 26), Mahavir Jayanti (March 31), and Good Friday (April 3). Further closures include Ambedkar Jayanti (April 14), Maharashtra Day (May 1), and Bakri Id (May 28).

In the second half, trading will be suspended on Muharram (June 26), Ganesh Chaturthi (September 14), and Gandhi Jayanti (October 2). Dussehra (October 20), Diwali Balipratipada (November 10), and Guru Nanak Jayanti (November 24) follow, with Christmas (December 25) closing the year’s holiday calendar.