Stock exchanges in India will be open for trade on Budget Day 2025, despite being a Saturday, NSE and BSE shared in two different notifications. Markets will remain open for equity from 9 am to 3:30 pm and for commodities it’s 5 pm. As is the convention, the Budget for 2025-26 will be tabled on February 1, 2025.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has so far held a series of meetings with various stakeholders, including MSMEs, farmers’ associations, and economists.  On Friday, the finance minister chaired a meeting with States and Union Territories. The Finance Ministry conducts several pre-budget consultation meetings annually with experts, industry leaders, economists, and state officials. 

The formal exercise to prepare the annual Budget for the next financial year has already begun.The 2025-26 Budget will mark Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s eighth.  All eyes will be on the key announcements and the government’s forward-looking economic guidance for the remainder of the Modi 3.0 tenure.