MCX holidays are the days when the Multi Commodity Exchange of India (MCX) closes one or both of its trading sessions. In 2026, these include full-day closures and partial holidays when only the morning or evening session is shut. All timings on this page are in Indian Standard Time (IST).
Quick answer: MCX holidays 2026 at a glance
MCX has 17 weekdays with a full or partial trading closure in 2026.
Both sessions are closed on 4 of these days, and only one session is closed on the other 13.
On most partial holidays, the morning session (9:00 AM to 5:00 PM) is closed and trading opens at 5:00 PM.
The next weekday with a scheduled session closure is Tuesday, November 10, 2026 (Diwali Balipratipada).
MCX holds a special Muhurat trading session on Sunday, November 8, 2026.
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MCX Holiday List 2026
All timings are in IST. The evening session runs until 11:30 PM or 11:55 PM, depending on US daylight saving time.
Sources: MCX circular MCX/TRD/636/2025 (December 15, 2025) for the annual holiday calendar, and MCX circular MCX/TRD/017/2026 (January 12, 2026) for the January 15 election holiday.
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Upcoming MCX Holidays in 2026
US daylight saving time ends on November 1, 2026, so the evening session closes at 11:55 PM from November 2. Our guide to MCX trading time has the full session timings.
Muhurat Trading on MCX in 2026
MCX will hold its Muhurat trading session on Sunday, November 8, 2026, from 2:20 PM to 3:30 PM, as per circular MCX/TRD/590/2026 dated October 19, 2026. Read more about how the session works in our guide to Muhurat trading.
MCX Holidays on Weekends in 2026
Four holidays fall on a Saturday or Sunday this year, so they do not cost a trading day.
Related: Best MCX Algo Trading Software in India
How MCX Holidays Work
MCX trades in two sessions, so its holidays work differently from equity market holidays. A holiday can close the morning session, the evening session or both.
Why MCX Opens in the Evening on Most Holidays
Gold, silver, crude oil, natural gas and base metals are priced off global markets, and those markets keep trading during Indian festivals. The evening session lets traders holding positions react to moves abroad.
New Year’s Day is the reverse. MCX trades in the morning but closes in the evening, when most global commodity markets are shut for the holiday.
Which Contracts Trade on a Morning-Only Holiday
Bullion, energy and base metals trade in the evening session from 5:00 PM. Agri contract timings vary by contract.
Agri contracts that normally close at 5:00 PM do not trade when the morning session is shut. Selected agri contracts that normally trade until 9:00 PM can trade from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM, as they did on January 15, 2026.
Related: MCX Lot Size 2026
MCX Holidays vs NSE and BSE Holidays
MCX shares most of its holiday dates with NSE and BSE. The difference is the evening session. When NSE and BSE close for Holi, Dussehra or Guru Nanak Jayanti, their equity markets stay shut all day, while MCX opens at 5:00 PM.
New Year’s Day works the other way. NSE and BSE trade normally, but the MCX evening session is closed. For the equity calendar, see our list of NSE and BSE holidays 2026.
What MCX Holidays Mean for Your Trades
Open positions carry over a holiday, so your margin stays blocked while global prices keep moving.
Prices can gap when the evening session opens on a partial holiday, because global markets kept trading while MCX was closed.
Expiry adjustments around holidays can differ by contract, so check the contract specification and any revised expiry circular from MCX.
MCX stays open on US holidays like Thanksgiving (November 26, 2026), even though US markets are closed or close early that day, so plan for this if your strategy tracks overseas prices.
If you use scheduled or automated entries, make sure they do not fire into a closed session and that your rules can handle a 5:00 PM start.
Plan your next MCX position before the market reopens. Check its payoff, breakeven and maximum loss (where defined) in the AlgoTest Strategy Builder.
Backtest MCX Strategies Around Holidays on AlgoTest
A strategy that works in a full five-day week can behave differently when a session is missing or the evening opens with a gap.
Backtest your crude oil, natural gas, gold and silver strategies on historical MCX data before you trade them. Each report, one of the most detailed available to Indian options traders, shows total and year-wise P&L, cumulative P&L against the underlying, win rate, risk-reward ratio, maximum drawdown, winning and losing streaks, Monte Carlo analysis, DTE and weekend filter performance, and downloadable trade logs.
See these metrics for your own MCX strategy. Sign up to get 100 Backtests free/month
Plan Your MCX Trades Around the Holiday Calendar
Most MCX holidays only close the morning session, so the market is rarely shut for a full day. Note the full-day closures, expect gaps when the evening session opens and check expiry dates in holiday weeks. Then test how your strategy behaves before you put money behind it.
AlgoTest helps you move from an idea to a strategy you can inspect and test before deciding whether to deploy.
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FAQs
Is MCX open today?
MCX is open Monday to Friday, except on its trading holidays. On most holidays, the evening session still opens at 5:00 PM, so check today’s date against the MCX holiday list above.
Is MCX open on Saturday and Sunday?
No. MCX is closed on weekends. The only exceptions are special sessions the exchange announces, such as Muhurat trading on Sunday, November 8, 2026.
How many holidays does MCX have in 2026?
MCX has 17 weekdays with a full or partial trading closure in 2026. Both sessions are closed on 4 of them, only the morning session is closed on 12, and only the evening session is closed on 1 (New Year’s Day). Four more holidays fall on weekends.
Is MCX open on Diwali 2026?
Yes, for a short session. MCX holds Muhurat trading on Sunday, November 8, 2026, from 2:20 PM to 3:30 PM. On Diwali Balipratipada (Tuesday, November 10), the morning session is closed and trading opens at 5:00 PM.
Is MCX open on Christmas 2026?
No. MCX is closed for both sessions on Friday, December 25, 2026.
Are MCX holidays the same as NSE holidays?
The dates are mostly the same, but the sessions are not. NSE and BSE equity markets close for the whole day, while MCX usually opens its evening session at 5:00 PM.
Can MCX add a holiday during the year?
Yes. MCX can declare extra holidays through a circular. In 2026, it closed the morning session on January 15 for the Maharashtra municipal elections, a date that was not on the original holiday list.
When will the MCX holiday list 2027 be released?
MCX usually publishes next year’s holiday list in December. The 2026 list came out on December 15, 2025, and we will add the 2027 list to this page once it is out.