The Indian stock market is generally closed on Saturdays and Sundays. However, on Saturday, August 8, 2026, special trading activities are being conducted on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). The activity is not a regular trading day or live stock market trading session. The exchanges are conducting a Mock Trading Session.
NSE and BSE informed their members about the special session through circulars issued on August 7. The primary objective is to test the exchanges’ trading systems, connectivity and technical infrastructure to ensure smooth market operations in the event of a technical issue or emergency.
NSE and BSE conduct mock trading sessions from time to time to test system capacity and preparedness before any technical issue arises in the actual market. The Saturday session will test the technical arrangements across various segments, including the capital market, equity derivatives, currency derivatives, electronic gold receipts and commodity derivatives.
During the exercise, the exchanges will check whether trading platforms, connectivity and related technical systems function properly under different trading conditions.
NSE has issued a schedule for the August 8 mock trading session in different phases. The initial session will be conducted from the Primary Site, followed by system testing from the Disaster Recovery (DR) Site.
The key timings for the Primary Site are as follows. The Morning Block Deal Window will be held from 10:45 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., followed by the Pre-Open Session from 11:00 a.m. The Normal Market will open at 11:15 a.m., while the T+0 Market will also open at 11:15 a.m. The Auction Market will begin at 12:30 p.m. The T+0 Market will close at 1:00 p.m., followed by Block Deal Window-2 from 1:00 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. T+0 Trade Modification will continue until 1:10 p.m., and the Normal Market will close at 1:30 p.m.
The next phase of the mock trading exercise will then begin from the Disaster Recovery Site. The objective is to test the capacity of the alternative system in the event of a potential technical disaster.
The key point for investors is that Saturday’s activity is not a normal Live Trading Session. The purpose of mock trading is system testing rather than actual investment or trading. According to the exchange instructions, there will be no actual Fund Pay-in or Pay-out based on trades executed during the mock session. Investors therefore should not treat Saturday’s activity as a normal trading day.
The special session is primarily relevant to stock exchange members, brokers, trading members and technical system operators associated with the market. Members enabled for trading in the capital market segment of the live market can participate in the mock trading session.
NSE has instructed members to participate through all their trading software during the mock session and complete the testing process. Members will also have to complete the process of logging in again to the live environment.
The exercise is intended, among other objectives, to help ensure smooth connectivity and trading systems when the actual trading session begins on Monday, August 10, 2026.
