From August 3, SEBI introduces changes to trading hours and the closing price process for equity derivatives (F&O) stocks. Multiple reports state that a new Closing Auction Session will be added for F&O-eligible stocks. This auction session determines the official closing price after regular trading ends. Alongside the new auction, trading in the equity derivatives segment continues for an additional period, with reports indicating it runs until 3:40 PM. The pre-open session timings are also revised, including changes to order entry and matching times.
The outlets frame the updates as procedural adjustments intended to support more transparent and reliable price discovery at the close, by using the Closing Auction Session to set the benchmark closing value for eligible contracts. The changes take effect from August 3 and apply to the relevant F&O segment and its market phases, including the pre-open and the post-regular trading closing mechanism.
