What is the pre-open market session?
The pre-open market session is the period of trading activity that occurs before the regular market session.
Any orders placed during this period will be rejected by the exchange. Order matching starts immediately after completion of the order collection period, and trades are confirmed by the exchange. During this session, orders are taken to arrive at the equilibrium price. The matched orders are then executed at this equilibrium price, which translates to the opening price* for the day.
The new pre-open market timing is applicable from September 07, 2026
- Session Timings:
Pre-Open Phase Existing Time Revised Time What You Can Do Order Entry 9:00 AM – 9:08 AM* 9:00 AM – 9:05 AM Market & Limit Orders: Place, modify, and cancel orders. Order Entry – Limit Orders Only - 9:05 AM – 9:10 AM Limit Orders: Place, modify, and cancel.
Market Orders: No modification/cancellation allowed. New market orders will be rejected.
Order Matching & Trade Confirmation 9:08 AM – 9:12 AM 9:10 AM – 9:12 AM Order Matching & Trade Confirmation: Opening price is determined. 9:10AM - 9.15AM Orders accepted at Geojit and Queued Buffer Period 9:12 AM – 9:15 AM 9:12 AM – 9:15 AM Buffer Period: Transition from Pre-Open to Continuous Trading Session. - Eligible Contracts:
- Current month futures contracts for single stocks and indices.
- Extended to next-month futures contracts in the last five trading days before expiry
Unmatched Orders
They are transferred to the regular trading session based on the order type.
1. Unmatched Limit Orders—Carried over to the regular session at the same price with their original timestamp.
2. Unmatched Market Orders—Carried over to the regular session at the opening price with their original timestamp. If the opening price is not established during the pre-open session, market orders are shifted to the previous day's closing price.
Visit the NSE website for more information.
Read More : What Happens to Orders Placed During Pre-Open and Pre-Close Sessions?
* Equilibrium/Opening Price—Price at which the maximum quantity of a stock can be matched with counter-orders. If multiple price points have the same matched quantities, the opening price will be that at which there are fewer unmatched order quantities. * Mutual Funds, ETFs, Bonds, G-Secs, and Sovereign Gold Bonds cannot be traded during the pre-opening market session. Pre-open market session is not applicable for equity derivative options, commodity derivatives, and currency derivatives.
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