Revision in MCX Trading Hours from November 3, 2025 to March 6, 2026

The Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) periodically revises its trading hours to align Indian commodity markets with global trends and daylight saving changes. Between November 3, 2025, and March 6, 2026, MCX will follow revised trading timings to ensure seamless price discovery and risk management. As highlighted by insights from Groww and the revision announcement by 5Paisa, this seasonal adjustment is particularly important for traders dealing in commodities linked to international markets, such as crude oil and precious metals.

The revision in MCX trading hours is a routine, time-bound change applicable during the winter months when international markets adjust for daylight saving time. As explained in analyses by Groww and 5Paisa, the exchange recalibrates its evening session to maintain overlap with key global commodity exchanges. This helps Indian traders respond efficiently to global price movements, macroeconomic data releases, and geopolitical developments. The revised schedule is temporary and designed to balance liquidity, volatility management, and operational efficiency across commodity segments.

During the revised period, MCX will operate with adjusted evening session timings while keeping the morning session unchanged. Based on information shared by Groww and 5Paisa, the broad structure is as follows:

• Morning session: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Evening session: 5:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.

These timings apply to most commodity derivatives traded on MCX, ensuring adequate overlap with international markets, particularly those in the US and Europe.

The primary reason for revising MCX trading hours is the daylight saving time change in major global markets. When international exchanges adjust their clocks, trading activity and price discovery shift accordingly. Aligning Indian commodity trading hours with these markets helps reduce price gaps, improves hedging efficiency, and enhances overall market integrity. It also ensures that Indian traders can react promptly to global cues without facing liquidity constraints during critical hours.

The revised MCX trading hours have several practical implications for traders, brokers, hedgers, and institutional participants. Understanding these impacts can help market participants plan better and minimise operational risks.

From a trading perspective, extended or shifted evening sessions mean traders may need to realign their daily routines. Those actively trading commodities such as crude oil, natural gas, gold, and silver will experience greater price action during the revised evening window due to increased global market overlap. This can lead to improved liquidity but also higher intraday volatility.

Key impacts include:

• Trading strategies: Intraday traders may adjust entry and exit timings to coincide with global data releases. Positional traders may benefit from tighter spreads during overlapping hours.
• Risk management: With higher volatility possible in the evening session, stop-loss strategies and position sizing become more critical.
• Operational readiness: Brokers, clearing members, and trading desks must ensure system availability and customer support during revised hours.
• Retail participation: Retail traders balancing jobs or other commitments may find the revised hours either more convenient or more demanding, depending on their schedules.

For hedgers, particularly businesses using commodities for raw materials, the revised hours provide better opportunities to hedge exposure in near real-time with global price movements. Similar to how investors track instruments like debentures or shares, commodity participants must stay aligned with market timings to manage exposure efficiently.

The revised MCX trading hours come into effect on November 3, 2025, and will remain applicable until March 6, 2026. During this period, all market participants are expected to adhere strictly to the updated schedule.

Important points to note include:

• The revision is seasonal and not a permanent change.
• All trades executed during revised hours are subject to existing MCX rules, margin norms, and settlement cycles.
• Traders should monitor circulars issued by MCX and updates shared by platforms such as Groww and 5Paisa for any clarifications.
• Compliance teams and trading members must ensure internal processes, risk checks, and reporting systems are aligned with the revised timings.

Being compliant is as important in commodities as it is when dealing in shares and stocks, as non-adherence can lead to penalties or operational issues.

Staying informed about trading hour revisions is essential for effective commodity trading. Traders can rely on multiple sources to remain updated throughout the revised period.

Recommended ways include:

• Regularly checking official MCX circulars and exchange notifications.
• Following trusted financial platforms such as Groww and 5Paisa for simplified updates and explanations.
• Enabling alerts on trading platforms for exchange-related announcements.
• Consulting brokers or relationship managers for operational clarifications.

Just as investors planning to open Demat account stay updated on equity market changes, commodity traders should actively track MCX announcements to avoid missed opportunities or compliance lapses.

The revision in MCX trading hours from November 3, 2025, to March 6, 2026, is a structured and necessary adjustment aligned with global market timings. While the change may require traders to tweak routines and strategies, it ultimately supports better liquidity, price discovery, and risk management. By staying informed through reliable sources and planning proactively, traders can navigate the revised schedule effectively and continue participating confidently in the commodity markets.