Mahashivratri Stock Market & Bank Holiday: BSE, NSE Closed; Nifty Nears Second-Worst Losing Streak in 30 Years

Mahashivratri will be observed on February 26, 2025, but not all cities will have a bank holiday, as it falls under the Negotiable Instruments Act. The RBI holiday calendar confirms closures in cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Jaipur, among others. Banks remain closed on second and fourth Saturdays and all Sundays. Awareness of bank holidays helps in financial planning and avoiding unnecessary branch visits. Digital banking services like UPI, internet banking, and ATMs will remain functional. Meanwhile, the BSE and NSE are closed today, with trading resuming tomorrow. MCX evening trading will remain open, while the morning session is suspended.

CONTENT:

• Stock Market Holiday on Mahashivratri: BSE and NSE Closed Today, Trading to Resume Tomorrow
• Nifty 50 Nears Second-Worst Monthly Losing Streak in Three Decades

Mahashivratri Stock Market & Bank Holiday: BSE, NSE Closed; Nifty Nears Second-Worst Losing Streak in 30 Years

On February 26, 2025, Mahashivratri will be observed across India, but not all cities will have a bank holiday. The holiday falls under the Negotiable Instruments Act, meaning its observance varies by location. According to the Reserve Bank of India’s annual holiday schedule, banks in certain cities will remain closed today. Being aware of bank holidays in advance helps in financial planning, preventing unnecessary trips to closed bank branches. Additionally, banks remain closed on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month, as well as on all Sundays.

As per the RBI holiday calendar, banking services will be unavailable today in several cities, including Ahmedabad, Aizawl, Belapur, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh and Telangana), Jaipur, Jammu, Kanpur, Kochi, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, Raipur, Ranchi, Shimla, Srinagar, and Thiruvananthapuram.

Understanding bank holidays in advance is crucial for efficient financial planning, especially for businesses, traders, and individuals managing banking transactions. A lack of awareness could lead to inconveniences, such as visiting a bank branch only to find it closed. As a general rule, banks in India remain closed on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month, along with all Sundays.

Meanwhile, banks in several other cities will remain open. Individuals and businesses should check their local bank schedules before planning transactions such as cash deposits, withdrawals, loan approvals, and cheque clearances. However, essential banking services like internet banking, UPI payments, and ATM withdrawals will continue as usual.

 

Stock Market Holiday on Mahashivratri: BSE and NSE Closed Today, Trading to Resume Tomorrow

The BSE and NSE will remain closed on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, in observance of Mahashivratri, suspending all trading activities, including equities and derivatives. This marks the first trading holiday of the year, with a total of 14 scheduled market closures in 2025. The next stock market holidays are Holi on March 14 and Ramzan Id on March 31. On the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX), trading will be impacted, with the morning session (9:00 AM – 5:00 PM) closed, while the evening session (5:00 PM – 11:55 PM) will remain open.

Several other holidays will affect trading throughout the year, including Mahavir Jayanti (April 10), Ambedkar Jayanti (April 14), Good Friday (April 18), Independence Day (August 15), Ganesh Chaturthi (August 27), Gandhi Jayanti/Dussehra (October 2), Diwali (October 21), Diwali Balipratipada (October 22), Gurpurb (November 5), and Christmas (December 25). A special Muhurat Trading session will take place on Diwali, with the exact timing to be announced later.

Meanwhile, Indian equity markets have witnessed a significant downturn in early 2025, with Nifty and Sensex declining over 5% in the first two months, while small- and mid-cap indices have entered bearish territory. Market volatility is likely to persist once trading resumes on Thursday, with investors closely monitoring the February derivatives expiry, foreign institutional investor (FII) activity, and US tariff policy updates. Over the past few months, international investors have withdrawn over ₹2 lakh crore from Indian markets, influenced by a strengthening US dollar and tariff concerns.

 

Nifty 50 Nears Second-Worst Monthly Losing Streak in Three Decades

The Nifty 50 index is nearing its second-worst monthly losing streak in three decades, having previously endured consecutive losses for five or more months only twice since its launch in July 1990. The current downturn, which began in October 2024, is on track to become the third such instance. In February alone, Nifty has dropped 4%, bringing its total five-month decline to 12.6% from its September 2024 closing level of 25,811.

Among individual stocks, one in five Nifty constituents has plummeted over 28%, with Trent, Adani Enterprises, Asian Paints, BPCL, Hero MotoCorp, Bajaj Auto, and Tata Motors falling between 31% and 33%. Major index players like Hindustan Unilever, ITC, and Reliance Industries have also suffered significant declines of 24%, 22%, and 18%, respectively, while a handful of stocks, including Wipro, Bajaj Finance, and Kotak Mahindra Bank, have managed gains of 6% to 9%.

Despite Nifty’s nearly 13% drop from its peak, the extent of losses remains relatively lower compared to past prolonged downturns, where historical data shows an average decline of 26.8% over similar streaks. Nifty’s longest losing period lasted eight months from September 1994 to April 1995, with a total drop of 31.4%, while a five-month fall between July and November 1996 resulted in a 26% decline, suggesting that the current market trend could signal further downside risks.

Several global and domestic factors have contributed to this decline, including uncertainty surrounding Donald Trump’s tariff policies, growing stagflation fears in the U.S., significant foreign institutional investor (FII) sell-offs amounting to ₹1.3 trillion in early 2025, and the U.S. Federal Reserve’s increasingly cautious monetary stance, which could tighten liquidity conditions and impact global markets, including India.

From a technical perspective, Nifty has historically found support at key trend lines, with the super trend line support currently around 21,515, implying a potential additional 4.6% downside. Below this, the 50-month moving average at 19,150 and the lower Bollinger Band at 18,500 serve as deeper support levels. In the short term, analysts highlight 22,400–22,500 as a crucial support range, with the potential for a rebound if it holds. However, resistance between 22,670 and 22,720 may act as a significant hurdle, limiting any immediate recovery.