- Is the stock market open today? NSE and BSE are closed Tuesday, March 31, 2026, for Mahavir Jayanti. MCX opens only for the evening session at 5 PM.
- Dalal Street faces a short 3-day trading week. With markets closed March 31 to observe Shri Mahavir Jayanti and April 3 for Good Friday.
Investors looking to trade on the final day of the financial year found the doors to Dalal Street firmly locked today, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. Both the NSE and the BSE remained closed in observance of Shri Mahavir Jayanti, halting all equity and derivative transactions for the session.
However, while the morning session for the commodity market was suspended, the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) will provide a late window for price discovery as the Evening Session (5:00 PM – 11:30 PM) remains Open.
The closure comes at a critical juncture for the Indian markets, providing a mandatory “breather” after a brutal month of selling. March 2026 has officially entered the record books for all the wrong reasons, with the Nifty 50 plunging nearly 10%, its worst monthly performance since the 2020 pandemic era.
India stock market closed today: 3-day trading week amid holidays
Today’s hiatus is the first of two holidays hitting the exchanges this week. With Good Friday scheduled for April 3, the trading week has been compressed into just three sessions.
- Tuesday, March 31: Closed (Mahavir Jayanti)
- Wednesday, April 1: Open (New Financial Year Begins)
- Thursday, April 2: Open
- Friday, April 3: Closed (Good Friday)
The lack of Tuesday trading means the “Black Monday” close, where the Sensex crashed over 1,500 points to end at 71,947.55, stands as the definitive closing price for the 2025-26 fiscal year.
MCX holiday hours today: Evening session open for commodity trading
While equity and debt markets are entirely shut, commodity participants have a different window. The Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) is observing a “split” holiday today:
- Morning Session (9:00 AM – 5:00 PM): Closed.
- Evening Session (5:00 PM – 11:30 PM): Open.
Traders in gold, silver, and crude oil will be able to react to global price action during the evening session.
However, note that for the upcoming Good Friday holiday on April 3, the MCX will remain fully closed for both sessions.
Risk-off sentiment: FII outflows, Rupee weakness and oil surge drive market stress
The pause in trading follows an unprecedented exodus of foreign capital. Analysts at Bajaj Broking note that Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) pulled a record ₹1.11 lakh crore out of Indian equities in March alone.
The sell-off has been fueled by a “perfect storm” of macro headwinds:
- Geopolitical conflict: The US-Israel-Iran conflict, now entering its second month, continues to rattle global supply chains.
- Currency pressure: The Indian Rupee breached the psychological ₹95 mark against the US Dollar this month, eroding returns for foreign desks.
- Crude oil surge: Brent crude remains elevated, threatening India’s fiscal deficit and inflation targets.
Upcoming market holidays in April 2026
Following the restart of trade on Wednesday, the calendar remains peppered with breaks. After this week’s Good Friday closure, the next major holiday is Tuesday, April 14, for Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar Jayanti.
As we enter the new financial year tomorrow, the market will be looking for signs of stabilization, though the T+1 settlement lag from Monday’s trades means fresh liquidity may not hit accounts until Wednesday morning.
