As the festival of lights approaches, the Indian stock market decks up for its Diwali special ‘muhurat trading’.
First introduced by the Bombay Stock Exchange in 1957 and later adopted by the National Stock Exchange in 1992, India’s stock exchanges open for a special one-hour trading session known as Muhurat Trading every year. A tradition rooted in ancient customs, traders mark Diwali by opening new account books and invoking the blessings of Goddess Lakshmi.
The muhurat trading session is considered as a good omen to invest, as Diwali marks the start of a new Samvat year. Trading volumes during Muhurat trading are usually light.
Enthusiastic investors also look for Muhurat trading, which is set to occur between 1.45 pm to 2.45 pm on October 21, 2025 (Tuesday).
All about Muhurat trading
The first and foremost thing you need to decide before going for Muhurat trading is to choose between trading and investing. While one style requires faster execution and early gains, the other benefits from fundamental and compounding strength. At this time, you can trade and invest across equities, commodities, currencies, and F&O, reported news agency ANI.
In a departure from the trend, this year’s Muhurat trading session will take place on October 21, from 1.45 pm to 2.45 pm. Generally, the special session is held in the evening.
According to the circular, a 15-minute pre-open session will occur from 1.30 pm to 1.45 pm, while the normal trading will begin from 1.45 pm.
It is important to pre-decide on which stocks and futures, and options (F&O) you want to trade and invest. This provides a clear roadmap to execute the order in the short duration of 1-hour Muhurat trading, the report added.
Stock markets on Sunday will be observing a holiday. Despite the festival, the stock market will however remain open on Monday, before closing down again.
For Diwali 2025, after muharat trading, the market will close again on Tuesday and Wednesday for Diwali Laxmi Pujan and Diwali Balipratipada respectively.