Union Budget 2025-26 to be Presented on Saturday, Stock Markets to Remain Open

By siliconindia  |  Friday, 10 January 2025, 04:55:59 PM IST

Union Budget 2025-26 to be Presented on Saturday, Stock Markets to Remain Open
Ahead of the Union Budget 2025-26, a lot of everyone's eyes remain glued to any official confirmation pertaining to the presenting date, generally on February 1. Well, this time around, on a Saturday budget will be unveiled, and stock exchanges in domestic markets will indeed be open since the National Stock Exchange has communicated this.
The NSE in a circular released on 23rd December announced that a special session would be conducted on Saturday, 1st February 2025, in line with Union Budget presentation. The pre-open session would then start at 9:00 a.m to 9:08 a.m., and then the regular session from 9:15 a.m to 3:30 p.m. This is the continuation of the practice that had been followed previously, including February 1, 2020, and February 28, 2015, when the Union Budget had been presented on a Saturday but markets had continued to be open.
The announcement is especially significant with previous years having shown a serious market reaction to the budget presentation. On February 1, 2024, it was the inter-budget day when Nifty closed at a low point of 0.13%. Similarly, after the full budget was presented on July 23, 2024, Nifty closed with a slight fall of 0.12%. The movements are seen closely by investors as they wait for the calendar of the government's economic strategy and fiscal policies.
Improving quality spending, strengthening the social security net, and bringing down the fiscal deficit to 4.5% of GDP would remain the government's focus for the 2025-26 Union Budget. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is likely to continue her focus on infrastructure investments and social welfare schemes, but keep a check on increasing expenditure to ensure that the fiscal discipline remains intact.
With the markets open on February 1, 2025, traders and investors are poised for another busy session as the government presents its financial roadmap for the coming fiscal year.

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