Commodity bourses to trade between 9am to 5pm until further notice

The Multi Commodity Exchange of India, the National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange, the Indian Commodity Exchange, the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange said the decision was made following discussions with the Securities and Exchange Board of India. On Mar 26, the domestic commodity exchanges had announced the shortening of trading hours and said it would remain in place till Apr 14.

The government, on Tuesday, extended the nationwide lockdown till May 3. So far, coronavirus has claimed 339 lives in India, with the number of confirmed cases crossing 10,363. The global death toll due to the virus is at least 110,000, with nearly 2 mln confirmed cases. Earlier this month, the Commodity Participants Association of India had asked SEBI to allow trading till 2330 IST as the shortened hours were hampering the hedging of internationally traded commodities.