Dalal Street opens its doors on a Sunday today, 8 November, for the one-hour Muhurat trading session that marks the start of Samvat 2083. The special session runs from 2:20 pm to 3:30 pm on both the BSE and the NSE, and it comes at the end of one of the strongest weeks Indian markets have seen in years.
The timing could hardly be better for traders. The Sensex closed on Friday at 81,028.02, up 1,718.01 points or 2.17 percent on the day, while the Nifty 50 settled at 25,030.35, up 493.75 points or 2.01 percent. Both benchmarks have now risen for seven straight sessions, their longest winning runs in 14 months for the Nifty and 26 months for the Sensex.
Timings for today
The exchanges have kept the Muhurat schedule short and simple. The pre-open session runs from 2:05 pm to 2:20 pm, the main equity session from 2:20 pm to 3:30 pm, and the closing session from 3:30 pm to 3:50 pm. Equity derivatives trade a little longer, until 3:40 pm. On the commodity side, the MCX holds its pre-open from 2:05 pm to 2:19 pm, followed by the same 2:20 pm to 3:30 pm window.
Trades placed today will settle on Monday, 9 November. The markets will then stay shut on Tuesday, 10 November, for Diwali Balipratipada, before normal trading resumes. Banks, meanwhile, are closed today for the Sunday holiday, though all digital channels, ATMs and payment systems remain fully working.
A record week behind the rally
The numbers from the week gone by explain why the mood on Dalal Street is so upbeat. The Nifty surged 8.58 percent during the week, gaining nearly 1,978 points to reclaim the 25,000 mark. It was the index’s biggest weekly percentage gain in about six years, since January 2021, and its largest ever weekly advance in absolute terms. The Sensex rallied nearly 9 percent, up 6,569 points over the week.
The rally added nearly Rs 28 lakh crore to investors’ wealth. The combined market value of BSE-listed companies rose from about Rs 475.34 lakh crore to around Rs 503 lakh crore in a single week.
Friday’s session set the tone. Shriram Finance led the week’s gainers with a rise of nearly 17 percent, followed by Bajaj Finance and Mahindra and Mahindra, which gained more than 15 percent each. HDFC Bank jumped around 14 percent, while Reliance Industries added more than 13 percent. Bank Nifty closed the week at 59,086, up more than 8 percent.
Why foreign money came back
Foreign institutional investors, who had been net sellers for much of 2026, returned in force. They put around Rs 31,000 crore into Indian equities through the NSE between Monday and Thursday, including nearly Rs 15,000 crore on Thursday alone, their biggest single-day purchase in over a year. Over the past five trading sessions, foreign buying totalled Rs 35,781 crore, according to Geojit Investments.
Three forces pulled the money back. First, Brent crude fell nearly 16 percent during the week to around 98 dollars a barrel as worries over the West Asia conflict eased, a big relief for India, which imports roughly 85 percent of its crude. Second, the US midterm results triggered a sharp selloff in American AI and technology stocks, wiping around 2.5 trillion dollars off US market value in a single day and pushing global investors to look again at cheaper markets. Third, the rupee firmed, recovering around 0.50 percent to move above the 94.00 mark against the dollar.
Vinod Nair, head of research at Geojit Investments, said Indian equities defied a global rout and were treated as a relative safe harbour. A sharp weekly slide in crude, easing US Treasury yields and a firmer rupee, he said, further burnished India’s appeal.
A tradition that goes back to 1957
Muhurat trading is one of Dalal Street’s oldest customs. The BSE introduced the practice in 1957, and the NSE followed in 1992. Traders worship Goddess Lakshmi, open new account books for the Hindu financial year and place symbolic trades during the auspicious hour, believing it sets the tone for the year ahead.
The year that just ended, Samvat 2082, was a difficult one, which makes today’s mood all the more striking. Between the Muhurat session of October 2025 and the end of October 2026, the Nifty fell 10.88 percent and the Sensex 11.81 percent. Even after this week’s surge, both benchmarks remain in negative territory for calendar 2026, with the Nifty down 4.2 percent and the Sensex lower by 4.9 percent.
What to watch in Samvat 2083
Analysts say the short term will test whether this week’s momentum can hold. Technical analysts put immediate support for the Nifty in the 24,770 to 24,500 zone, with a gap near 24,300 as a crucial floor. On the upside, 25,150 is the first hurdle, followed by resistance near 25,400 to 25,500.
Several brokerages have already published their Samvat 2083 stock baskets, and the common thread is patience and quality over chasing the rally. With momentum indicators now in overbought territory, analysts are advising a selective, stock-specific approach and warning that some consolidation after a seven-session surge would be healthy.
For now, though, today belongs to tradition. At 2:20 pm, the terminals will light up for an hour, the new Samvat will begin, and Dalal Street will do what it has done every Diwali for nearly seven decades: mark the new year with a trade.
This article is for information only and is not investment advice. Please consult a certified financial adviser before making investment decisions.
FAQs
What time is Muhurat trading today?
The special session is on Sunday, 8 November 2026. Pre-open runs from 2:05 pm to 2:20 pm, and main equity trading runs from 2:20 pm to 3:30 pm on both the BSE and the NSE.
Are banks open on 8 November?
No. Bank branches are closed today for the regular Sunday holiday, which coincides with Diwali and Lakshmi Puja. Net banking, mobile apps, UPI, ATMs and payment systems work as normal.
When will today’s trades settle?
Trades placed during the Muhurat session settle on Monday, 9 November. The markets are closed on Tuesday, 10 November, for Diwali Balipratipada.
How did the markets close on Friday?
The Sensex closed at 81,028.02, up 1,718.01 points or 2.17 percent, and the Nifty 50 closed at 25,030.35, up 493.75 points or 2.01 percent, after seven straight sessions of gains.
Why is it called Muhurat trading?
Muhurat means an auspicious time. The session is held during Diwali, when traders worship Goddess Lakshmi and open new account books for the Hindu financial year. The BSE has held it since 1957 and the NSE since 1992.
