RBI regulated markets to start trading at 9 am from Apr 18

Trading in markets regulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will start from 9 am onwards from April 18, with the restoration of pre-pandemic trading timings.

Currently, the markets open at 10 am.

The trading hours for various markets regulated by RBI were changed on April 7, 2020 in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic that had resulted in operational dislocations and elevated levels of health risks. Later, with the easing of operational constraints, the trading hours were partially restored with effect from November 9, 2020.

From April 18, the trading hours of these markets will be from 9 am to 3.30 pm, the central bank said in a release on Monday.

"With the substantial easing of restrictions on movement of people and functioning of offices, it has now been decided to restore the opening time for regulated financial markets to their pre-pandemic timing of 9 am," the release said.

Call/notice/term money; market repo in government securities; tri-party repo in government securities; commercial paper and certificates of deposit; repo in corporate bonds; government securities (central government securities, state development loans and treasury bills); Foreign Currency (FCY)/Indian Rupee (INR) trades, including forex derivatives; and rupee interest rate derivatives. These markets are regulated by the central bank.

On Friday, while announcing the bi-monthly monetary policy, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das had said that markets regulated by the central bank will start trading from 9 am from April 18.