The last month of the year has begun, and December is significant for various economic activities, including the upcoming RBI monetary policy meeting, which will clarify whether interest rates will decrease or increase. If you're investing in the stock market, be aware that there are limited trading days this month. In addition to the regular weekly holidays, there will be a specific day when trading will be halted.
According to the stock market holiday calendar, trading will be closed on December 25, 2024, in observance of Christmas, which falls on a Wednesday. Additionally, the Indian stock markets will be closed on Saturdays and Sundays throughout December. There are four Saturdays (the 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th) and five Sundays (the 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th) this month. In total, there will be no trading on 10 out of the 31 days on the BSE and NSE, resulting in only 21 trading sessions for December 2024.
The BSE and NSE have declared a total of 14 stock market holidays for 2024. Additionally, a public holiday was observed on January 22, 2024, for the Pran Pratishtha ceremony at the Ayodhya Ram Temple. Holidays were also declared for the Lok Sabha elections in Mumbai on May 20, 2024, and for the Maharashtra Assembly elections on November 20, 2024. Consequently, there will be a total of 17 holidays in the stock market this year.
Last week, the stock market experienced significant volatility, with fluctuations exceeding 1,000 points. On Friday, the BSE 30-share index, Sensex, rose by 759.05 points, closing at 79,802.79. Similarly, the National Stock Exchange (NSE) index, Nifty, gained 216.95 points, finishing at 24,131.10.