Equity Markets Fully Dark, Five Segments Suspended
Indian stock exchanges BSE and NSE are closed today, May 1, 2026, in observance of Maharashtra Day, halting trading across equity, derivatives, currency, SLB, and EGR segments for the full session. No trades will go through on either bourse until Monday, May 4.
MCX Gets a Split Day — Morning Out, Evening On
The Multi Commodity Exchange of India will remain closed during its morning session from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM but will reopen from 5:00 PM to 11:30 PM tonight. Metals, energy, crude—all of that resumes in the evening. The 11:30 PM close reflects MCX’s seasonal adjustment effective March 9, 2026, aligning Indian market hours with US Daylight Saving Time, a shift that moves the evening close 25 minutes earlier than the winter schedule of 11:55 PM.
NCDEX Out All Day, Agri Contracts Go Dark
NCDEX will remain closed for the entire day across both sessions, with trading and settlement activities fully suspended. Agricultural commodity contracts for chana, guar, and castor seed see zero price discovery today.
Second Consecutive Disruption Squeezes May’s Trading Window
This is the second consecutive trading disruption in as many weeks, following the Dr. Ambedkar Jayanti closure on April 14. The two weekday holidays in April–May compressed settlement cycles and F&O rollover activity heading into a busy derivatives month. May 2026 carries just two weekday exchange holidays today, May 1st, and Bakri Id on May 28th, leaving all other weekdays operational, but the concentration of both closures at the month’s bookends squeezes active trading into the middle three weeks.
Derivative Traders Face Two Different May Expiry Dates
The Bakri Id date is where derivative traders need to pay close attention. Bakri Id falls on Thursday, May 28, shifting the monthly BSE contract expiry for SENSEX and BANKEX to Wednesday, May 27. For NSE-listed index and stock contracts, the revised monthly expiry has been the last Tuesday of the month since September 2025, which puts Nifty and BankNifty monthly expiry on Tuesday, May 26, a day ahead of the BSE shift. Traders holding positions across both exchanges into month-end face two different effective expiry dates in the same week.
Why MCX Keeps the Evening Session Running on Holidays
The rationale behind MCX’s partial holiday structure is deliberate: global commodity markets do not observe Indian festivals. MCX keeps the evening session running so Indian traders holding overnight positions in internationally priced commodities crude, gold, and copper retain the ability to manage risk while COMEX and NYMEX remain active. Intraday positions on MCX are squared off 10 minutes before session end at 11:20 PM in summer, so traders holding open positions into tonight’s close should factor that hard cutoff into their exit plans.
Why Maharashtra Day Shuts Mumbai’s Exchanges
Maharashtra Day marks the creation of the state on May 1, 1960, under the Bombay Reorganisation Act, which split Bombay State into Maharashtra and Gujarat. The holiday carries particular significance for BSE and NSE since both exchanges are headquartered in Mumbai, the state’s capital.
The most actionable date ahead is May 26 for Nifty monthly expiry, now just 17 trading sessions away with two confirmed non-trading days already embedded in that window. Traders with open F&O positions should note that time decay continues through non-trading days, affecting options pricing when markets reopen on Monday.
Also Read: Market Timings & Holidays
FAQ
Will mutual fund NAVs be updated today?
No. Since NSE and BSE are closed, fund NAVs will not be calculated for May 1. SIP transactions scheduled today are processed on the next business day, Monday, May 4, using that day’s NAV, per SEBI’s T+1 settlement guidelines.
Are currency and government bond markets also closed today?
Yes. The foreign exchange market and the government securities market operated by RBI also observe Maharashtra Day as a public holiday, per the RBI’s 2026 holiday calendar. No FX or G-Sec trades will settle today.
What is the actual May F&O expiry date after the Bakri Id shift?
Bakri Id on May 28 (Thursday) pushes BSE’s SENSEX and BANKEX monthly contracts to Wednesday, May 27. NSE’s Nifty and BankNifty monthly expiry falls on Tuesday, May 26, the last Tuesday of the month, and is unaffected by the Bakri Id holiday. Confirm final dates on the NSE and BSE circulars before planning expiry positions.
What are the remaining market holidays in 2026?
After Bakri Id on May 28, markets close for 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, and Christmas on December 25.
