Indian stock markets will not open for trading on January 15. Both the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange made this announcement. They revised their calendars because of municipal corporation elections in Maharashtra.
The exchanges originally planned a settlement holiday for that day. Now they have turned it into a complete trading holiday. This decision affects all segments.
Exchanges Announce Full Suspension
The Bombay Stock Exchange confirmed the closure. Trading will stop across several key areas. This includes equities, equity derivatives, commodity derivatives, and electronic gold receipts.
The BSE also provided important clarification about derivatives contracts. Contracts set to expire on January 15 will now mature a day earlier, on January 14. The exchange said these revisions appear in the end-of-day contract master files.
The National Stock Exchange issued a similar revision. It declared January 15 a trading holiday for the capital market segment and the futures and options segment. This new circular replaces an earlier notice from last week. That previous notice indicated markets would reopen for trading despite some settlement restrictions.
Reason Behind the Holiday Change
The stock exchanges explained the reason for this change. They cited expected disruption to banking and clearing operations. January 15 is already a public holiday in Maharashtra for the elections.
Most banks across the state are expected to remain shut on that day. This situation makes normal settlement processes unviable. Settlement holidays are common during elections or major public events to ensure smooth operations.
Updated 2026 Market Holiday Calendar
With the addition of January 15, Indian stock exchanges will now observe 16 trading holidays in 2026. This count excludes regular weekends. January 26, Republic Day, will be the second market holiday in January.
The calendar for the first half of 2026 includes several closures:
- Holi on March 3
- Ram Navami on March 26
- Mahavir Jayanti on March 31
- Good Friday on April 3
- Ambedkar Jayanti on April 14
- Maharashtra Day on May 1
- Bakri Id on May 28
The second half of the year also features multiple market holidays:
- Muharram on June 26
- Ganesh Chaturthi on September 14
- Gandhi Jayanti on October 2
- Dussehra on October 20
- Diwali Balipratipada on November 10
- Guru Nanak Jayanti on November 24
- Christmas on December 25
Independence Day on August 15 falls on a weekend in 2026. Therefore, it will not lead to an additional market closure beyond the regular Saturday and Sunday.
