NEPSE basics
NEPSE trading calendar and holidays explained.
Since April 2026, NEPSE trades Monday to Friday. Saturday and Sunday are off. On top of the weekend, NEPSE closes for a number of Nepali public holidays each year. Here is how the calendar works and where to check live market status.
4 min read · Updated · 25 Sep 2026
What days does NEPSE trade?
Since April 2026, NEPSE has operated on a Monday to Friday trading week, with Saturday and Sunday as the weekend. This change aligned NEPSE with most global markets. Prior to April 2026, NEPSE traded Sunday through Thursday; any older guide that still lists "Sunday to Thursday" is out of date.
What are the daily session times?
On each trading day:
- Pre-Open: 10:30 to 11:00 AM NPT. Orders are taken from 10:30 to 10:45 and can be placed, modified or cancelled, but no trades execute; they set the opening price.
- Continuous trading: 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM NPT. Orders match in real time.
For a deeper look at what each session means, read NEPSE trading hours.
Which festivals close NEPSE?
NEPSE publishes an official annual holiday calendar at the start of each Nepali fiscal year. Because Nepal follows the Bikram Sambat (BS) calendar, the Gregorian dates of each festival closure shift from year to year. The typical festival closures include:
- Nepali New Year (Baishakh 1)
- Loktantra Diwas (Democracy Day)
- Buddha Jayanti
- Republic Day
- Dashain (multiple days: Phulpati, Maha Ashtami, Maha Nawami, Vijaya Dashami, Ekadashi)
- Tihar (multiple days including Laxmi Puja and Bhai Tika)
- Chhath Puja
- Constitution Day
- Indra Jatra (Kathmandu Valley)
- Maha Shivaratri
- Holi
This list is representative, not exhaustive. NEPSE may add or remove specific days in any given year. Always check the official NEPSE website or Punji's market status for the authoritative calendar.
The big closures in 2083 so far
The government has announced these festival holidays for 2083. NEPSE follows public holidays and confirms each closure in a notice, so treat the days as expected rather than final until it does.
| Festival | Holiday | Market shut |
|---|---|---|
| Dashain | 17 to 23 Oct 2026 (Ashoj 31 to Kartik 6) | Mon 19 to Fri 23 Oct |
| Tihar | 8 to 12 Nov 2026 (Kartik 22 to 26) | Mon 9 to Thu 12 Nov |
Settlement pauses with the market. A trade made just before a long closure settles on the trading days after it, so plan EDIS and payments around the break. See how settlement works.
How do you know if NEPSE is open right now?
The Punji app shows a live market status pill on the home tab. It updates in real time to reflect Pre-Open, Continuous, or Closed based on the session clock and the official holiday calendar integrated into Punji's backend. You do not need to cross-check the NEPSE website manually. See the full feature set on the features page.
Can you place orders on holidays?
Yes, within a window. SEBON approved order placement outside trading hours in April 2026, and NEPSE switched it on in the TMS on 13 August 2026 as After Market Orders: you can enter an order from 5:00 PM until 10:00 AM the next day, including across a weekend or a holiday. Nothing executes then; the order queues and goes to the market when it next opens. Read more in the After Market Order guide.
Sources
- Nepal Stock Exchange opens Monday to Friday under new government timings Sharesansar, 8 Apr 2026
- NEPSE introduces After Market Order feature in TMS ShareHub (from Merolagani), Aug 2026
- Nepali public holidays 2083 BS Hamro Patro
- Nepal Stock Exchange notices NEPSE
Common questions
Answered plainly.
As of April 2026, NEPSE trades Monday to Friday. Saturday and Sunday are the weekend. Previously NEPSE traded Sunday to Thursday; the schedule changed in April 2026 to align with global markets.
No. NEPSE closes on Nepali public holidays in addition to Saturday and Sunday. The official holiday calendar is published by NEPSE each year and follows the Bikram Sambat calendar, so the Gregorian dates of festival closures shift year to year.
The Punji app shows a live market status pill on the home tab. It reads Pre-Open, Continuous, or Closed in real time based on the session clock and the official holiday calendar. You do not need to manually check the NEPSE website.
Day orders that did not execute expire at the end of the last trading session before the holiday. Since 13 August 2026 the TMS also takes After Market Orders from 5:00 PM to 10:00 AM, including across a weekend or holiday; they queue and go to the market when it next opens.
NEPSE follows the government's Dashain holiday, which covers several days from Phulpati to Ekadashi. In 2083 it runs from Ashoj 31 to Kartik 6 (17 to 23 October 2026), so the market is shut from Monday 19 to Friday 23 October. NEPSE confirms each closure in a notice.
Read next
The rest of the guide
- How NEPSE trading works: orders, settlement and circuit breakersBroker account, limit orders, T+2 settlement, circuit breakers and how cash and shares actually move.
- NEPSE CGT rates in FY 2083/84: now 5% short-term and 3.75% long-termThe budget raised capital gains tax from 17 July 2026 and the government cut it to 5% and 3.75% from 22 September. The timeline, worked examples and what it means for holding.
- Margin, intraday and short selling in Nepal, explainedWhat each one means if you have never met it, which you can legally use on NEPSE today, and what each does to you when the price goes the wrong way.
- Nepal's 21-point capital market reform plan explainedEvery dated deadline in the 15 September 2026 plan: margin lending, intraday trading and short selling by mid-October, a second benchmark index and ETFs by mid-December, and the capital gains tax cut that took effect on 22 September.
See it in NEPSE data
The numbers behind the guide
- NEPSE share pricesEvery company: latest close, 52-week range and who traded it.
- NEPSE floorsheetBroker buying and selling for every company, last 30 days.
- Share calculatorCommission, SEBON, DP and capital gains tax on a sale.
- Dividend historyCash and bonus declarations by fiscal year.
- NEPSE sectorsEvery sector and its listed companies.
- NEPSE brokersEvery broker by number, with its TMS address.
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