Muhurat trading 2026: How UAE residents can take part
NSE and BSE hold a special Diwali session on November 8, from 12:50 PM UAE time
Dubai: Indian stock exchanges will open on a Sunday this year for Muhurat Trading, a one-hour Diwali session that marks the start of Samvat 2083.
The NSE and BSE will hold the session on November 8. Pre-open order entry begins at 2:05 PM IST. Normal trading runs from 2:20 PM to 3:40 PM IST, according to the NSE circular. In the UAE, that is 12:35 PM for pre-open and 12:50 PM to 2:10 PM for trading. Trades settle on Monday, November 9. Markets stay shut on November 10 for Diwali-Balipratipada.
What is Muhurat Trading?
Muhurat means an auspicious time. Traders worship Goddess Lakshmi, open new account books for the Hindu financial year and place symbolic trades. BSE has held the session since 1957, NSE since 1992.
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How UAE residents can participate
Direct investment is open to Indians living in the UAE who hold NRI status. Open an NRE or NRO bank account and obtain Portfolio Investment Scheme approval from a designated bank. Then open a demat and trading account with a SEBI-registered broker. Accounts must be active before the session.
NRIs can trade equities on a delivery basis only. Intraday trading and short selling are barred. The NRE route allows repatriation of funds, while the NRO route does not.
Indian expats can also trade via listed ETFs as they trade like shares on the NSE and BSE. NRIs can buy them through the same PIS-linked demat account, on a delivery basis. This is the only fund route here that can transact during Muhurat hours.
Trading amidst a global market churn
The Muhurat trading session comes at a time when markets globally are witnessing a huge churn as investors and traders move positions from AI and tech stocks. The Nasdaq closed in correction territory on November 5. Japan’s Nikkei trades about 20 per cent below its peak, and South Korea’s Kospi hit a circuit breaker on November 6.
Indian markets have, however, held out. Both indices NSE & BSE) closed near the day’s high on November 6. Sensex shut shop at 81,028.02, up 1,718.01 points, or 2.17 per cent, while the Nifty gained 493.75 points to close at 25,030.35, or 2.01 per cent. The Nifty reclaimed 25,000 and posted its best close since the West Asia conflict began.
The session mark a ceremonial start. But delivery-only trades leave NRI positions exposed to global moves when regular trading resumes on Monday.
