Update: The content of this thread is outdated. Please refer to this post instead:
On Saturday, January 20, 2024, NSE & BSE will be conducting special live trading sessions in the equity & F&O segments.
There will be two sessions; the first from the primary and the second from the disaster recovery site of the exchanges. The timing for these sessions will be as follows 
Trading session from primary site:
| Trading Sessions | Start Time | End Time |
|---|---|---|
| Live trading from the Primary Site | 9:15 AM | 10 AM |
| Live trading from the DR Site | 11:30 AM | 12:30 PM |
*Pre Open for the first session is from 9:00 AM to 9:08 AM
*Pre Open for the second session is from 11:15 AM to 11:23 AM and the closing session will be from 12:40 PM to 12:50 PM
*Random closure in the last one minute
Why is this session held?
What’s the purpose of this session?
To ensure that trading can continue without any problems if something were to go wrong in the main trading venues. SEBI requires Market Infrastructure Intermediaries (MIIs) to perform a switchover to their Disaster Recovery (DR) site as part of the business continuity plan.
What is a disaster recovery site?
Disaster recovery sites are back up trading venues. If there are disruptions or critical failures to the systems of key MIIs like exchanges, then trading and operations are shifted to the disaster recovery site to ensure seamless continuity of trading and other activities.
A disaster recovery site is a backup location where a company stores its important data and systems. It’s like having a spare office or computer system that can be used if the main one gets damaged or stops working.
DR drills, or disaster recovery drills, are conducted to practice and test the company’s ability to recover from a major problem or disaster. It’s like doing a fire drill to practice what to do in case of a fire.
During a DR drill, the company simulates a disaster scenario and goes through the steps of moving to the backup site and restoring the systems.
This helps identify any weaknesses or issues in the recovery process and allows the company to make improvements and ensure they can quickly get back up and running in case of a real disaster.
A few things to keep note of:
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Any F&O credits (i.e. premium from options sold, marked-to-market profit, intraday profits, etc.) and intraday equity profits from January 19th will not be included in the available funds during the special trading session due to the settlement holiday. Meanwhile, you will be able to check these credits in your Console ledger.
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Currency and Commodity (MCX) markets will stay closed.
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MIS/CO (Intraday)** orders will be blocked for both sessions.
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BTST (T1 sell) orders for T2T stocks will be blocked.
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GTT orders will not be triggered.
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AMO orders placed after markets on Friday, 19th January will be triggered on Saturday, 20th January 2024.
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SIP orders on Kite will not be executed during the Special trading session. The scheduled SIP orders on 20th January will be placed on the next trading day.
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Open orders from the first session will not be carried forward to the second session.
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Withdrawal requests placed on 20th January 2024 will be processed on 22nd January 2024.
Our support lines will be operational from 9 AM to 2 PM.
This is the first time that the Stock exchanges are switching trading sites from their primary sites to the disaster recovery (DR) site during a live trading session. We have been informed by the Stock exchange through circular {point 6}, that there is a possibility of executed trades getting canceled, during the transition phase of switching from the primary to the DR site. Should such a situation occur, your closed positions during the first session will be reopened after which you will need to exit the position again in the second session.
**Intraday trading is restricted during the special Saturday trading session due to anticipated lower trading volumes. Since volumes would be less, the spreads could be wider leading to potential loss during auto square offs. Moreover, the exchanges have imposed a 5% lower price band for all stocks, including those that trade in the derivative segment. This increases the odds of stocks hitting upper/lower circuits potentially leading to open long or short positions at the end of the second trading session or square-offs happening which is not in the best interest of our clients.
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During this session, all securities will have upper and lower circuit limits of 5%, including stocks that are traded in the F&O segment. Securities that have a 2% upper and lower circuit limits will continue to have a 2% limit.
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These circuit limits are applicable for the day and will be carried from one session to the next.
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All futures contracts will have an operating range of 5%.
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Normally, stocks that trade in the F&O segment and futures contracts have flexible price bands, meaning if the circuit limit is hit, it is relaxed further, allowing trading to continue. This will not be applicable during this session.
You can check the notification from the exchanges here (NSE, BSE).