If you follow more than one market from India, the clock becomes part of the strategy. The NSE closes at 3:30 pm, while the US opens in the evening and crypto never closes. This guide puts the main markets on one Indian Standard Time (IST) timetable and explains why the US and UK times shift by an hour during the year. Times are approximate and exchanges can change hours or close for holidays, so check each exchange's own calendar. Educational, not advice.
| Market | Regular hours (IST) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Indian stocks (NSE/BSE) | 9:15 am to 3:30 pm, Mon to Fri | Pre-open session earlier in the morning |
| MCX commodities (gold, silver, crude) | About 9:00 am to 11:30 pm or 11:55 pm, Mon to Fri | Evening close depends on US daylight saving; check MCX |
| US stocks (NYSE, Nasdaq) | 7:00 pm to 1:30 am (US daylight time); 8:00 pm to 2:30 am (US standard time) | Pre-market and after-hours sessions run outside this window |
| Forex | Opens around 2:30 to 3:30 am Monday; closes around 2:30 to 3:30 am Saturday | Nearly 24 hours on weekdays |
| Crypto | 24 hours, 7 days | No daily close; weekend moves are normal |
| Global gold (spot and COMEX futures) | Nearly 24 hours on weekdays | Short daily break in futures; check CME |
India does not use daylight saving, but the US and UK do. The US moves its clocks forward in March and back in early November, and the UK moves on its own dates in March and October, so the gap between IST and those countries changes by an hour for a few weeks each year. The US regular session is always 9:30 am to 4:00 pm Eastern time. When the US is on daylight time that equals 7:00 pm to 1:30 am IST; on standard time it is 8:00 pm to 2:30 am IST. In the weeks when the US and UK have changed on different dates, the London-to-New York overlap can briefly be off by an hour from the usual. When in doubt, use the times shown in IST on our economic calendar.
Forex follows the sun, and the busiest period is usually when two big centres overlap.
Remember that Indian residents may trade only the permitted currency derivatives on Indian exchanges, with their own hours. See Is forex trading legal in India? and forex basics for the rules and the vocabulary.
Outside regular hours the US has a pre-market session (from about 4:00 am Eastern) and an after-hours session (until about 8:00 pm Eastern). Volume is thinner, spreads are wider and prices can gap on company news. Many companies report earnings outside regular hours, so the next open can be far from the last close. See the US stocks guide for Indian investors.
Crypto trades continuously. There is no opening bell and no closing price, only whatever time zone a data provider uses for its daily candle. That is liquidity-friendly but it also means sharp moves can happen overnight, at weekends or on holidays. If you use stops or alerts, plan for the hours you are asleep. See what is Bitcoin and how crypto works.
Gold is priced globally in US dollars, so it reacts to US data in the Indian evening and night. MCX trades through the Indian evening, so a US inflation print at 6:00 pm IST can move MCX gold while the NSE is already closed. See how to invest in gold in India.
Pick a track and learn how each market works, with times, tools and risks in IST.
LEARN EVERY MARKET →Next step: test a real holding with Samjho Bhai, our free Buy/Hold/Sell review for Indian stocks, crypto, US indices and gold. Then read forex risk management. For guided, live practice, see the mentorship Equity, Crypto and Forex tracks.
The regular US session opens at 9:30 am Eastern, which is 7:00 pm IST while the US is on daylight time and 8:00 pm IST while it is on standard time.
Yes. Major crypto markets trade 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including holidays, so prices can move at any time.
India does not use daylight saving but the US and UK do. When they change their clocks the difference from IST shifts by one hour.
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