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Stock market closed today due to Holi: Can act as a breather from West Asia impact

Sanjeev Kumar | March 3, 2026 11:22 AM CST

Kolkata: Today, March 3, will be a holiday for the Indian stock market due to Holi. The break comes at a perfect time whether Dalal Street needed a breather.

On Tuesday both BSE and NSE will remain closed on account of Holi. There has been come confusion in the market about the holiday because Holi will be celebrated nationwide on March 4, 2026. However, the MCX or Multi Commodity Exchange will function a bit differently. Today, it will be closed during the morning session. But trading will resume in the evening session — from 5:00 to 11:00 PM. Help cool sentiment a bit However, the stock market holiday will help sentiment to cool a bit after the dramatic sell-off on March 2, when selling pressures turned the trading screen red most of the time. The timing of this holiday has been very significant. Investors began selling as soon as trading started on Monday morning. The West Asia crisis drove them into a panic mode. Intraday, Sensex dived nearly 2,700 points. Nifty 50 slipped to 24,603 at its lowest during the session. At close of session, Sensex dropped 1,048.34 points or 1.29% to close at 80,238.85 and Nifty 50 closed at 24,865.70, down 312.95 points or 1.24%.

The escalating US-Iran conflict and the killing of Iran's supreme leader and several military officials escalated geopolitical risks. The shutdown of the crucial Strait of Hormuz, through which passes more than a quarter of the world’s seaborne crude supply, escalated the tension, since it also triggered a rise in the price of crude. With no sign of deescalation, analysts began speculating that oil prices could touch $100 a barrel within a matter of days. Through this strait, significant global gas supplies are also shipped. The pause has sent jitters through the global energy markets. Stock markets holidays in March

In March there are a lot of market holidays. BSE and NSSE will be closed for a total of 12 days this month. So for 40% of the month, there will be no activity in the stock market. This month has four Saturdays and five Sundays. In addition, the market will also be closed for three major festivals of India — Holi, Ram Navami and Mahavir Jayanti on March 3, March 26 and March 31 respectively.