With stock markets fully closed on Thursday, March 26, 2026 for Shri Ram Navami, many investors and traders in commodities including gold, silver, crude oil, and base metals are asking one specific question: is the commodity market open today?
The answer is partial. The commodity derivatives market is neither fully open nor fully closed on March 26. It follows a split schedule that is different from the equity, derivatives, and currency markets which are shut for the entire day.
Morning Session — Closed
The morning session of commodity derivatives trading on MCX will remain closed on March 26, 2026, on account of Ram Navami. Traders who typically trade commodity futures in the morning hours should note that no trading will be possible during this period. The morning session closure applies across all commodity segments including precious metals, energy, and base metals.
Evening Session — Open
The evening session of commodity derivatives trading will reopen on March 26. This is the critical distinction for active commodity traders. MCX’s evening session, which typically runs from approximately 5:00 PM IST, will be operational on Ram Navami despite the morning closure. This means traders can participate in MCX gold, silver, crude oil, natural gas, copper, zinc, and other commodity futures contracts during the evening hours on Thursday.
This split schedule is standard practice for MCX on Indian public holidays and reflects the exchange’s role in providing price discovery for internationally traded commodities whose global markets continue operating regardless of Indian holiday calendars. International crude oil, gold, and silver markets in London and New York continue trading through Indian holidays, and the MCX evening session allows Indian participants to access those markets during their active trading hours.
Why This Matters Particularly Today
The evening session opening on March 26 carries exceptional significance given the current state of global commodity markets. MCX gold has surged over 3.91 percent in recent sessions on diplomatic progress in the Iran conflict. MCX silver has jumped 5.64 percent on the same news. MCX crude oil remains highly volatile as the US-Iran diplomatic process plays out, with Brent crude fluctuating between $99 and $107 per barrel in response to each new development.
With the Nifty and Sensex closed for the full day and equity traders unable to act on any geopolitical news that breaks on March 26, the MCX evening session will be the only Indian market venue where investors and traders can respond to developments in the Iran conflict, crude oil price movements, or precious metals volatility as they unfold through Thursday.
Traders holding leveraged positions in MCX gold, silver, or crude oil should be particularly attentive to the evening session opening given that four days of closed equity markets mean Thursday evening may be the only opportunity to adjust commodity positions before the weekend.
What Is Completely Closed on March 26
For clarity, the following segments will remain fully closed for the entire day on March 26, 2026 on account of Ram Navami: the equity segment on NSE and BSE, the equity derivatives segment, the currency derivatives segment, and the morning session of commodity derivatives on MCX.
The next full trading day across all segments is Friday, March 27, 2026, after which markets close again for Saturday March 28 and Sunday March 29, creating an effective four day break for equity traders. March 31, Tuesday, is another market holiday for Shri Mahavir Jayanti.
Trading session timings are based on NSE and MCX holiday calendar information as of March 2026. Traders should verify exact session timings on the MCX official website before placing orders. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice.