Stock Market Holiday On October 20 Or October 21: When Is Trading On BSE, NSE, MCX Closed For Dussehra?

Indian stock market will have a holiday-shortened trading week from October 19th to October 23rd. The reason will be the celebration of Dussehra after the 9-day-long Navratri festival. However, the Dussehra festival varies from state to state and will be celebrated on either October 20th or 21st. This has stirred confusion on when trading will be closed on BSE and NSE for the festival. For this week, the Indian stock market is expected to remain cautious.

Stock Market Holiday On October 20 Or October 21?

The ninth day of Navratri is fixed on October 19. However, the celebration of Dussehra is expected to extend from October 20th to October 21st. However, Indian stock exchanges will see October 20th as holiday for the festival.

As per the BSE and NSE holidays list, trading will be shut in equities, the SLB segment, derivatives, commodities, bonds and forex, among other market-related instruments, on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, due to the celebration of Dussehra.

Dussehra, in Hinduism, is a festival that marks the end of Sharad Navratri in India. The term sharad means "autumn" in Sanskrit, and "navratri" means "nine nights." The festival celebrates the victory of good over evil, commemorated by the triumph of the Hindu deity Rama over the 10-headed demon (rakshasa) king Ravana, who abducts Rama's wife, Sita, as recounted in the Sanskrit epic Ramayana. The festival's name is derived from the Sanskrit words dasha ("ten") and hara ("defeat"). Dussehra is widely celebrated by Hindus across South Asia, particularly in India, and by the global Hindu diaspora, as per Britannica.

Accordingly, the market will resume trading on October 21, 2026.

MCX Holiday On October 20 Or October 21, 2026:

Notably, MCX will not be closed for a full day on October 20. In general terms, there are two sessions held every weekday on MCX for commodities like gold, silver, crude oil prices, copper, zinc, lead and others. The morning session begins from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, while the evening session is held from 5:00 PM to 11.30PM/11.55 PM from Monday to Friday.

Accordingly, during Dussehra, MCX will be closed for trading only during the morning session but will resume trading from 5:00 pm on October 20th for the evening session.

Sensex, Nifty Weekly Predictions:

Last week, on October 16, the Sensex closed at 74,729.27, up by 413.66 points, or 0.6%, while Nifty 50 surged by 148.80 points or 0.65% to 23,146.15. Overall, from October 12th to 16th, Sensex skyrocketed by 2,387.26 points or 3.30% and Nifty 50 jumped 562.80 points or 2.5%.

Stock Market Weekly Outlook:

The market is likely to remain cautious as crude oil prices, geopolitical developments and global bond yields continue to influence near-term direction. A sustained rise in crude could add to inflationary pressures and weigh on the rupee and corporate margins, while easing energy prices following progress on Iran-US negotiations could provide some relief, as per Ajit Mishra, SVP - Research, Religare Broking.

For traders, Religare expert said, positions should largely remain aligned with the benchmark trend. At the same time, select pockets across sectors, particularly pharma and healthcare, may continue to offer opportunities on declines. Traders should remain disciplined with position sizing and clearly define their risk-management levels.

Here are the technical views for Sensex and Nifty, as per Ponmudi R, CEO - Enrich Money,.

Nifty 50 Predictions:

The Nifty 50 extended its recovery over the week, moving above the psychologically important 23,000 mark as short-term momentum improved following the recent correction. However, the index is approaching a key resistance zone, where sustained buying will be necessary to extend the rebound. Immediate resistance is placed around 23,150. A sustained move above this level, supported by follow-through buying and broader market participation, could open the way toward 23,300-23,400 and potentially higher levels.

On the downside, 22,900 is the immediate support, followed by 22,800. A sustained break below 22,800 could undermine the recovery and expose the index to 22,600. While momentum has improved alongside the rebound, the ability to hold above 23,000 and break decisively past 23,150 will be crucial in determining the next directional move. The near-term outlook has improved, although a sustained breakout above resistance is needed to establish a decisively bullish bias.

Sensex Predictions:

The Sensex extended its recovery over the week, gaining approximately 3.1%. However, the index is approaching the psychologically important 75,000 mark, which could act as an immediate hurdle. A sustained move above this level could open the way toward 75,300-75,500 and further strengthen the short-term recovery.

On the downside, 74,300-74,000 forms the immediate support zone, followed by 73,500-73,300. A break below 73,300 could undermine the recovery and increase the risk of renewed selling pressure. The index will need to sustain above 74,000 and move decisively beyond 75,000 to establish a more durable upward trend. Overall, the near-term outlook has improved, but a sustained breakout above resistance remains necessary to confirm further upside.

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