A circular from the National Stock Exchange (NSE) of India has confirmed that trading on Saturday, February 1, 2025, will run from 9:15 AM to 3:30 PM, with the BSE indices also being calculated. The Indian stock market, typically closed on weekends, will remain open on this day to accommodate the presentation of the Union Budget by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for the eighth consecutive year.
The NSE’s announcement marks February 1 as a special trading day due to the Union Budget 2025-26. Regular trading hours will apply on this Saturday, similar to previous years when the markets remained open for budget presentations, such as on February 1, 2020, and February 28, 2015.
On the previous Friday, the Sensex rose by 741 points, and the Nifty crossed 23,500. This surge was fueled by strong buying interest in Larsen & Toubro after its impressive Q3 results and the Economic Survey’s pro-growth budget forecast. The 30-share BSE Sensex gained 740.76 points (0.97%), closing at 77,500.57, while it briefly hit 77,605.96 during the day. Similarly, the NSE Nifty surged 258.90 points (1.11%), closing at 23,508.40, with a high of 23,546.80.
Among the top performers in the Sensex, Larsen & Toubro rose by 4.31%, following a 14% increase in its consolidated profit after tax for the December quarter, reaching ₹3,359 crore. Nestle also saw a 4.25% gain after reporting a 4.94% rise in its net profit to ₹688.01 crore for the same period.
Other significant gainers included IndusInd Bank, Titan, Tata Motors, Tata Steel, ITC, and Maruti, while ITC Hotels, Bharti Airtel, Bajaj Finserv, Bajaj Finance, and ICICI Bank saw losses.
In January, the BSE Sensex dropped by 638.44 points (0.81%), and the Nifty fell by 136.4 points (0.57%). The Economic Survey expressed concerns about high stock market valuations, warning that any downturn in U.S. markets could trigger a ripple effect in India, especially given the surge in participation from young investors after the COVID-19 pandemic.
