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Stock market holidays: The Indian stock market will observe a mid-week holiday on Thursday, March 26, marking the first of three such closures over the next seven sessions.

According to the stock market holiday calendar shared by the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and BSE in December last year, March 26 is declared as a public holiday to mark the occasion of Shri Ram Navami. This is the second trading holiday this month, after March 3 for Holi, apart from the weekends.

Additionally, the next week also remains a truncated one for Dalal Street, with two more stock market holidays on account of Shri Mahavir Jayanti and Good Friday on March 31 and April 3, respectively.

The commodity exchange MCX will remain closed in the first half on March 26. It will, however, open for the evening session at 5 pm.

After these three holidays slated over the next seven trading sessions, the Indian stock markets will be shut on 10 separate occasions for the rest of the year to celebrate separate occasions from Eid, Diwali, Christmas to other festivals.

The month of April will see another holiday on the 14th for Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Jayanti. In May, too, NSE and BSE will witness two market holidays for Maharashtra Day and Bakri Id. Meanwhile, in June, the markets will be shut for Muharram.

There will be no additional holidays in July and August this year, the NSE holiday calendar shows. Lastly, markets will close on two days in October and November and once in December to mark various festivals in India.

Upcoming stock market holidays

The market holidays might offer a breather to the Indian stock market investors as they grapple with high volatility amid the ongoing US-Israeli war with Iran. While broad-based buying is visible in the indices since two sessions now on hopes of a breakthrough in the conflict, benchmark indices — Sensex and Nifty —remain 7.09% lower for the month. This will mark the fourth consecutive monthly fall for the indices.

The sharp decline in the indices comes as the West Asia war has resulted in the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has fanned crude oil prices. For India, which is the third-largest importer and consumer of crude oil, it is a major concern as it threatens to weigh on its economy and also on corporate earnings.

Persistent foreign institutional investor outflows represent another major headwind, with FIIs pulling out over ₹97,000 crore in March 2026 alone—pushing year-to-date withdrawals past ₹1.45 lakh crore.

According to Emkay Global Financial Services, Indian equities are currently trading at fair valuations relative to global peers, with the Nifty 50 at approximately 20x P/E—below its recent historical averages. "The valuation comfort is supported by robust macroeconomic fundamentals, including expected GDP growth of 7.3–7.5% and steady earnings expansion."

Disclaimer: This story is for educational purposes only. The views and recommendations made above are those of individual analysts or broking companies, and not of Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.Saloni Goel has over nine years of experience as a business journalist, with a strong track record of covering the financial markets. Over the course of her career, she has reported extensively on global and domestic equities, IPO market activity, commodities, and broader macroeconomic trends. Her reporting reflects a keen eye for detail, data-driven analysis, and the ability to spot emerging themes early.

At Mint, Saloni has been part of the markets team for nearly two years, where she currently works as Chief Content Producer. In this role, she plays a key part in shaping market coverage, driving editorial strategy, and ensuring timely, accurate, and insightful reporting across. She has been closely involved in breaking news coverage and in crafting stories that help decode the complex financial developments.

Before joining Mint, Saloni worked with some of India’s leading business newsrooms, including The Economic Times and Business Standard. Throughout her career, she has worn multiple hats—ranging from reporting and editing to contributing in-depth features and identifying new storytelling formats and market trends.

Her experience in fast-paced digital newsrooms has given her an edge in simplifying complex market concepts without losing analytical depth. Outside of work, Saloni enjoys reading books and spending time with her pet.

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