# MCX Trading Time: Commodity Market Timings in India (2026) Author: AlgoTest Author URL: https://algotest.in/blog/author/algotest/ Published: 2026-10-09 Category: General Category URL: https://algotest.in/blog/category/general/ Meta Title: MCX Trading Time 2026: Commodity Market Timings in India Meta Description: MCX trading time for 2026: non-agri commodities trade 9 AM to 11:30 PM, moving to 11:55 PM from Nov 2. See crude oil, gold and agri timings. Tags: product, algo trading india Tag URLs: product (https://algotest.in/blog/tag/product/), algo trading india (https://algotest.in/blog/tag/algo-trading-india/) URL: https://algotest.in/blog/mcx-trading-time/ MCX trading time is the window when you can buy and sell commodity futures and options on the Multi Commodity Exchange of India (MCX). Unlike the stock market, MCX stays open late into the night. The exact hours depend on two things: the type of commodity you trade, and the time of year. **Quick answer (October 2026):** - Non-agri commodities like crude oil, gold, silver and natural gas trade from 9:00 AM to 11:30 PM, Monday to Friday. - From November 2, 2026, the closing time for these commodities moves to 11:55 PM. - Cotton, cotton oil and kapas trade from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM. - All other agri commodities trade from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Take a look at each timing, why the closing time changes twice a year, and which hours are usually the most active. ## MCX Trading Time at a Glance MCX opens at 9:00 AM for every commodity. The closing time is what changes from one group to another. Commodity group Examples Opening time Closing time (till Oct 30, 2026) Closing time (from Nov 2, 2026) Non-agri commodities Crude oil, natural gas, gold, silver, copper, zinc, aluminium 9:00 AM 11:30 PM 11:55 PM Select agri commodities Cotton, cotton oil, kapas 9:00 AM 9:00 PM 9:00 PM All other agri commodities Other agricultural contracts 9:00 AM 5:00 PM 5:00 PM Market trading happens from Monday to Friday. MCX stays closed on Saturdays, Sundays and declared trading holidays. ### Morning and Evening Sessions MCX splits its day into two sessions: - The morning session runs from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. - The evening session runs from 5:00 PM to the closing time, which is 11:30 PM now and 11:55 PM from November 2, 2026. This split matters on holidays. On many holidays, MCX closes the morning session but keeps the evening session open. ### Intraday Square-Off Time If you trade intraday, your broker will close your open positions before the market closes. Many brokers do this about 10 minutes before the close. That means non-agri intraday positions are usually squared off around 11:20 PM now, and around 11:45 PM from November 2, 2026. Check your broker's exact cut-off time. ### NSE Commodity Timings NSE also has a commodity derivatives segment. Its commodity trading hours follow the same schedule, and both exchanges revise their hours on the same dates. ## Why MCX Closing Time Changes Twice a Year The MCX closing time changes because of daylight saving time (DST) in the United States. India does not follow DST, but the US does. Prices of gold, silver, crude oil and natural gas are strongly linked to US markets. When US clocks move, MCX moves its closing time so Indian traders keep the same overlap with US trading hours. This is how it works: - US daylight saving runs from the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday of November. - During this period, MCX closes non-agri commodities at 11:30 PM. - For the rest of the year, MCX closes non-agri commodities at 11:55 PM. Period Non-agri closing time March 9, 2026 to October 30, 2026 11:30 PM From November 2, 2026 until US daylight saving starts again in March 2027 11:55 PM Only non-agri commodities are affected. The closing times for cotton, cotton oil, kapas and other agri commodities stay the same all year. MCX announces each change through a circular a few weeks in advance. It is a good habit to check for this circular every February and September. ## Commodity-Wise MCX Trading Time All contracts of the same commodity follow the same hours. For example, Gold, Gold Mini, Gold Guinea and Gold Petal all trade at the same time. Commodity Category Trading time (till Oct 30, 2026) Trading time (from Nov 2, 2026) Crude oil (incl. Crude Oil Mini) Energy 9:00 AM to 11:30 PM 9:00 AM to 11:55 PM Natural gas (incl. Natural Gas Mini) Energy 9:00 AM to 11:30 PM 9:00 AM to 11:55 PM Gold (all contracts) Bullion 9:00 AM to 11:30 PM 9:00 AM to 11:55 PM Silver (all contracts) Bullion 9:00 AM to 11:30 PM 9:00 AM to 11:55 PM Copper, zinc, aluminium, lead Base metals 9:00 AM to 11:30 PM 9:00 AM to 11:55 PM Cotton, cotton oil, kapas Select agri 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM Other agri commodities Agri 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM ### Crude Oil Trading Time in India Crude oil trades on MCX from 9:00 AM to 11:30 PM until October 30, 2026. From November 2, 2026, the crude oil closing time moves to 11:55 PM. Crude oil usually sees its biggest price moves in the evening. This is when US oil markets are open and US oil data comes out. ### Gold Trading Time in India Gold trades on MCX from 9:00 AM to 11:30 PM, moving to 11:55 PM from November 2, 2026. Silver follows the same hours. Gold prices react strongly to US economic data and the US dollar, so the evening hours tend to see bigger moves. ### Natural Gas Trading Time Natural gas follows the same schedule as crude oil: 9:00 AM to 11:30 PM now, and 9:00 AM to 11:55 PM from November 2, 2026. ### Agri Commodity Timings Cotton, cotton oil and kapas trade until 9:00 PM because their prices are linked to global markets. Other agri commodities close at 5:00 PM because their prices depend mostly on Indian supply and demand. ## Is MCX Open Today? MCX is open from Monday to Friday, except on declared trading holidays. It is always closed on Saturdays and Sundays. MCX holidays work differently from NSE and BSE holidays. Because MCX has two sessions, a holiday can be one of two types: - On a full-day holiday, both the morning and evening sessions are closed. - On a partial holiday, the morning session is closed but the evening session opens at 5:00 PM. Most MCX holidays are partial holidays. Global commodity markets keep trading during Indian festivals, so the evening session stays open to let traders manage their positions. ### Remaining MCX Holidays in 2026 Date Day Occasion Morning session Evening session October 20, 2026 Tuesday Dussehra Closed Open November 8, 2026 Sunday Diwali Laxmi Pujan Muhurat trading only Muhurat trading only November 10, 2026 Tuesday Diwali Balipratipada Closed Open November 24, 2026 Tuesday Guru Nanak Jayanti Closed Open December 25, 2026 Friday Christmas Closed Closed [Muhurat trading](https://algotest.in/blog/diwali-muhurat-trading-stock-market/) is a special one-hour session held on Diwali. MCX announces its exact timing closer to the date. ### How to Check If MCX Is Open Today 1. Check the day of the week. MCX does not trade on Saturdays or Sundays. 2. Check today's date against the MCX holiday list. 3. If today is a partial holiday, wait for the evening session to open at 5:00 PM. 4. Check whether you are trading a non-agri or agri commodity, since agri contracts may close before the evening session even starts. ## Most Active Hours on MCX For non-agri commodities, the evening is usually the busiest part of the MCX day. That is when US markets are open and most global price-moving news comes out. The morning and early afternoon tend to be calmer for crude oil, gold and silver, since US markets are still closed. ### Key US Events in Indian Time These scheduled US events often cause sharp moves in MCX crude oil, natural gas and bullion: Event US time (ET) Indian time (till Oct 30, 2026) Indian time (from Nov 2, 2026) Major US economic data (inflation, jobs report) 8:30 AM 6:00 PM 7:00 PM US stock market open 9:30 AM 7:00 PM 8:00 PM EIA weekly crude oil inventory report (Wednesday) 10:30 AM 8:00 PM 9:00 PM EIA weekly natural gas storage report (Thursday) 10:30 AM 8:00 PM 9:00 PM The EIA reports can shift by a day when there is a US holiday in that week. ### What This Means for Your Trading - Price moves and volume usually pick up after 6:00 PM, so stop losses can get hit faster during this time. - Spreads can widen for a few seconds right after major US data releases. - The last few minutes before the intraday square-off can be rushed, so plan your exits early. - Agri commodities that close at 5:00 PM do not trade during these evening hours at all. Your chart time frame matters as much as the hour you trade. Read our guide on the [best time frame for intraday trading](https://algotest.in/blog/best-time-frame-for-intraday-trading/) to pick one that suits your style. ## Trade MCX With a Clear Plan on AlgoTest Knowing MCX trading time is the first step. Next, turn it into a clear plan: pick the session you will trade, set your entry and exit rules, and decide how much risk each position can take, keeping the square-off time in mind. Then [forward test it with paper trading](https://algotest.in/paper-trading) to see how it behaves in live sessions before you put real money behind it. MCX is now live on [AlgoTest](https://algotest.in/). Here is what you can do: - You can execute MCX strategies on Crude Oil, Gold, Natural Gas and Silver, in both futures and options. - You can place MCX trades directly with ClickTrade. - You can run MCX through Zerodha today, and support for more brokers is coming soon. - You get MCX access for a flat ₹2,000 per month on top of your existing AlgoTest plan, across every broker linked to your account. MCX backtesting is on the way too, including MCX support in [Signals AI](https://algotest.in/feature/signals/indicators?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=seo&utm_campaign=indicators&utm_source=blog&utm_medium=seo&utm_campaign=indicators). Join us as we simplify algo trading in India. Start Free ## FAQs Q: What is the MCX trading time today? A: Non-agri commodities like crude oil, gold and silver trade from 9:00 AM to 11:30 PM until October 30, 2026, and from 9:00 AM to 11:55 PM from November 2, 2026. Cotton, cotton oil and kapas trade until 9:00 PM, and other agri commodities trade until 5:00 PM. Q: What is the MCX closing time today? A: The closing time is 11:30 PM for non-agri commodities until October 30, 2026. From November 2, 2026, it moves to 11:55 PM. Agri commodities close at 5:00 PM or 9:00 PM depending on the contract. Q: What time does MCX open? A: MCX opens at 9:00 AM for all commodities, Monday to Friday. Q: What is the crude oil trading time in India? A: MCX crude oil trades from 9:00 AM to 11:30 PM until October 30, 2026, and from 9:00 AM to 11:55 PM from November 2, 2026. Q: What is the gold trading time in India? A: MCX gold trades from 9:00 AM to 11:30 PM until October 30, 2026, and from 9:00 AM to 11:55 PM from November 2, 2026. All gold contracts follow these hours. Q: Is MCX open today? A: MCX is open on weekdays unless it is a declared trading holiday. On most holidays, the morning session is closed but the evening session opens at 5:00 PM. Q: Is MCX open on Saturday? A: No. MCX is closed on Saturdays and Sundays. The only exception is a special session like Muhurat trading on Diwali. Q: Why does MCX close at 11:55 PM in winter and 11:30 PM in summer? A: MCX follows US daylight saving time to keep the same overlap with US markets. When US clocks move forward in March, MCX closes at 11:30 PM. When they move back in November, MCX closes at 11:55 PM. Q: Are NSE commodity timings the same as MCX? A: Yes. NSE's commodity segment follows the same trading hours, and both exchanges revise their timings on the same dates. Q: What is the intraday square-off time on MCX? A: Many brokers square off intraday positions about 10 minutes before the close. That is around 11:20 PM until October 30, 2026, and around 11:45 PM from November 2, 2026. Check your broker's exact time. --- This blog is powered by Superblog. Visit https://superblog.ai to know more. ---