MSEI to Hold Special Trading Session on February 1, 2026 Ahead of Union Budget

The Metropolitan Stock Exchange of India will remain open for trading on February 1, 2026, the day the Union Budget is presented. The session comes barely days after the exchange resumed operations, making it the first meaningful test of MSEI trading under live and volatile market conditions.

This year’s Budget carries a unique twist. It will be presented on a Sunday for the first time, prompting regulators to keep markets open to avoid a build-up of risk and uncertainty. By participating alongside the National Stock Exchange of India and the Bombay Stock Exchange, MSE is positioning itself as a fully functional venue rather than a symbolic entrant.

Early Days For MSEI

The exchange will start trading operations on January 27, a development that effectively marks the MSEI trading start date after a long period of inactivity. Trading has commenced with a limited universe of 130 stocks, primarily comprising liquid, large-cap names. From a participant’s point of view, the experience on the MSEI trading platform is meant to mirror existing exchanges, with familiar order types, timings, and settlement cycles.

To support activity during the initial phase, MSE has implemented a liquidity support framework using designated market makers. This structure becomes particularly relevant during events like the Budget, when price reactions can be sharp, and order flow can become one-sided within minutes.

Why Does Budget Day Matter?

Budget Day is not a routine trading session. Policy announcements on taxes, capital spending, borrowing, and sector incentives often lead to fast repricing across banks, infrastructure, consumption, and financial stocks. For an exchange that has only just restarted, handling such conditions smoothly is essential.

Market participants will watch closely how spreads behave, how quickly orders are matched, and whether price discovery remains orderly. Early MSEI trading volume numbers on February 1 will offer clues on whether brokers and traders are willing to route orders through the exchange during high-impact events.

Positioning In A Concentrated Market

India’s equity market remains heavily concentrated, with most activity flowing through a single exchange and a smaller share through the second. Liquidity tends to follow established habits, which makes it difficult for new or returning platforms to gain relevance quickly.

MSE’s strategy appears incremental. Rather than chasing immediate scale, it is focusing on stability and differentiation. Its flagship SX40 index offers an alternative large-cap benchmark, and over time, the exchange plans to expand MSEI trading derivatives linked to this index. Regulatory rules allow different expiry days, which could help avoid direct competition in the most crowded segments.

MSEI Unlisted Share Rallying Like Never Before

The MSEI share price action has been hard to ignore. In just one week, the share price jumped from Rs. 3.85 on 10 January to Rs. 7.5 on 19 January, almost a 2x. And within a month, it almost doubled, from Rs. 3.5 on 22 December to Rs. 7.5 by 19 January. When an unlisted share rises this fast, it usually means the market has picked up strongly.

The current jump is mainly built on 3 pillars:

1. MSEI may restart trading operations by the end of Jan 2026

2. SEBI approved Liquidity Enhancement Scheme (LES)

3. Massive capital raised and utilised (Rs.1,240 crore), giving it financial strength.

Read More Here: MSEI Share Price Doubles In 1 Week: What’s Happening?