Practise Indian stocks — without risking a rupee
StockYatra lets you trade 30 of India's largest NSE companies with virtual coins on live-simulated prices. Here's how the real National Stock Exchange works — hours, circuits and settlement — and how practice on StockYatra maps to it. हिन्दी में पढ़ें →
NSE in one minute
The National Stock Exchange of India (NSE), in Mumbai, was incorporated in 1992 and brought screen-based electronic trading to India in 1994. Its headline index, the Nifty 50, tracks fifty large companies. India's other main exchange, BSE (founded 1875, Asia's first stock exchange), runs the Sensex of 30 companies. Most large companies list on both, and both are regulated by SEBI, the Securities and Exchange Board of India.
On StockYatra the India board holds 30 widely followed NSE large caps — banks, IT services, energy, FMCG, autos, pharma and more. See the live India board →
NSE market hours (IST)
Equity trading runs Monday to Friday, except weekends and NSE-declared holidays.
| Pre-open | 09:00–09:08 IST — order entry; 09:08–09:15 is order matching and a buffer before the open |
|---|---|
| Normal market | 09:15–15:30 IST (09:30–15:45 in Nepal time) |
| Closing auction (since 3 Aug 2026) | 15:15–15:35 IST for stocks with F&O contracts: continuous trading in them ends at 15:15 and the closing price is set by a 20-minute auction |
| Days | Monday–Friday, excluding exchange holidays |
Circuit limits: how far a stock can move in a day
Stock price bands
NSE gives each stock a daily price band of 2%, 5%, 10%, 20% either way from the previous close. When a stock hits the top of its band it is at its upper circuit — buyers are queued but no one will sell below the cap. Stocks that have futures and options have no fixed band; instead NSE applies a dynamic band starting at 10% that it relaxes in steps if the move continues.
Market-wide circuit breakers
If the Nifty 50 or the Sensex moves 10%, 15%, 20% in a day, trading halts across all equity and equity-derivative markets. How long depends on the level and the time it triggers; at 20% trading stops for the rest of the day.
T+1 settlement
India settles share trades one working day after the trade (T+1). Buy on Monday and the shares arrive in your demat account on Tuesday; sell on Monday and the money is credited on Tuesday. SEBI allowed exchanges to move to T+1 in 2021 and the switch was completed for every listed stock on 27 January 2023. In StockYatra practice there is no settlement wait — positions open and close instantly.
How StockYatra turns rupee prices into coins
Your practice balance is in coins, and coins are pegged to the Nepalese rupee (1 coin = Rs. 1). Indian prices stay in ₹ so they read like the real thing, and when you trade, the cost is converted at the fixed NPR/INR peg of ₹1 = 1.6 coins.
So the 10,000 welcome coins buy about ₹6,250 worth of Indian shares. Profit and loss come back in coins at the same rate, and the order ticket shows the exact coin cost before you confirm. Coins are virtual and have no cash value.
Start practising in three steps
- Install StockYatra and sign up — you get 10,000 practice coins.
- Switch the market to India and open a company page to read its chart and overview.
- Place a small order with a stop-loss and a target, then review it when it closes.
Stuck on a term? Ask Lumi, StockYatra's AI helper, in the app — in English, Hindi or Nepali.
Frequently asked questions
What are NSE market timings?
Monday to Friday except exchange holidays: pre-open order entry 09:00–09:08 IST, normal market 09:15–15:30 IST. Since 3 August 2026, stocks that have F&O contracts stop continuous trading at 15:15 and close through a closing auction from 15:15 to 15:35 IST.
What is the upper and lower circuit on NSE?
Most NSE stocks have a daily price band of 2%, 5%, 10%, 20% either way from the previous close — a stock cannot trade beyond it that day. Stocks with F&O contracts have no fixed band; NSE applies a dynamic band that starts at 10% and is widened in steps. Separately, a market-wide circuit breaker halts all equity trading if the Nifty 50 or Sensex moves 10%, 15%, 20%.
What does T+1 settlement mean?
Trades settle one working day after the trade day (T). If you buy on Monday, the shares reach your demat account and the seller gets paid on Tuesday. India moved every listed stock to T+1 on 27 January 2023.
How do Indian prices turn into coins on StockYatra?
Prices stay in rupees (₹). The coin cost is price × quantity × 1.6, because coins are pegged to the Nepalese rupee and ₹1 = Rs. 1.6. Your profit or loss comes back in coins at the same rate. The order ticket always shows the exact coin cost before you confirm.
Do I need a demat account or PAN to practise?
No. StockYatra is a practice simulator — no demat, PAN, KYC or broker is needed, and no real money or shares are involved. To buy real Indian shares you would need a demat and trading account with a SEBI-registered broker.
Are the prices real NSE quotes?
No. They are live-simulated by StockYatra's engine around each company's real-world price level so they move like a market, but they are not official NSE quotes and may differ from the exchange. Don't use them for real trading decisions.
Sources
Facts on this page were checked against the sources below on 6 October 2026. Exchange rules change — always confirm on the official site.
- NSE — Market timings
- NSE — Pre-open session
- SEBI circular (16 Jan 2026) — Closing Auction Session in the equity cash segment
- NSE — Price bands
- NSE — Market-wide circuit breakers
- SEBI circular (7 Sep 2021) — T+1 rolling settlement (fully phased in 27 Jan 2023)
- NSE — History & milestones
- BSE — Company overview
Keep learning
StockYatra is a practice simulator. No real shares, currencies or money change hands, coins have no cash value, and nothing here is investment advice. StockYatra is not affiliated with NSE, BSE, SEBI, NYSE or Nasdaq.
Practise it before you risk it
Get 10,000 free practice coins and trade Nepal, India and US stocks on live-simulated prices — zero real money involved.
Get the app →