Indian stock markets will be closed on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, in observance of Maha Shivratri, a Hindu festival dedicated to Lord Shiva. Trading will resume on Thursday after the midweek break, as per the holiday calendar issued by the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).
On Tuesday, February 25, the BSE Sensex rose by 147.71 points closing at 74,602.12. Nifty declined by 5.80 points, or 0.03%, finishing at 22,547.55. In the broader market, most sectors closed lower. The Nifty Midcap 100 index fell by 0.62%, while the Nifty Smallcap 100 index declined by 0.44%. Sector-wise, 11 out of 19 indices ended in the red. However, the Nifty Auto, FMCG, and Financial Services indices were among the few to post gains, rising 0.51%, 0.32%, and 0.18%, respectively.
Top Gainers and Losers
Among the Sensex constituents, 17 stocks closed in the green. Bharti Airtel, Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Bajaj Finance, Zomato, ITC, HUL, and Infosys were the top gainers. On the other hand, Reliance Industries (RIL), Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Larsen & Toubro (L&T), Sun Pharma, State Bank of India (SBI), Powergrid, and Tata Motors were the major laggards for the day.
Maha Shivratri, a significant Hindu festival that typically falls between February and March according to the lunar calendar, is observed on the 14th day of the first half of Phalguna. Traditionally, Indian stock markets remain closed for the entire day in celebration of the festival.
Share market holidays 2025
The Maha Shivratri holiday is one of 14 scheduled market closures in 2025. After this break, markets will close for Holi on Friday, March 14, and Id-Ul-Fitr on Monday, March 31. April will see three more holidays: Shri Mahavir Jayanti on April 10, Baba Saheb Ambedkar Jayanti on April 14, and Good Friday on April 18.
Maharashtra Day on May 1 will conclude the first half of the year’s market holidays. Other notable holidays include Independence Day on August 15 and Ganesh Chaturthi on August 27. In the final quarter of the year, the market will close for Gandhi Jayanti and Dussehra on October 2, Diwali-related holidays on October 21-22, and Prakash Gurpurb on November 5. The year will end with a holiday for Christmas on December 25.
Indian stock market hours run from 9:15 AM to 3:30 PM, Monday through Friday, with a pre-open session beginning at 9:00 AM. Markets remain closed on weekends and public holidays as per the exchanges’ holiday schedule.
