Owning shares of companies located outside your homeland can help diversify your investment portfolio. For this reason, the U.S. stock market has emerged as a preferred destination for Indian traders to buy and sell international shares from more than 6,000 listed top companies like Microsoft, Apple, Google, Tesla, Amazon, Alibaba and Netflix, among others.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), under the Liberalized Remittance Scheme (LRS), allows traders resident Indians to remit up to $250,000 per financial year for portfolio investments and other permissible transactions.
Here are the trading hour timings of the U.S. stock exchanges, namely NYSE and Nasdaq, to help traders in India to invest in globally listed stocks.
US Stock Market Timings India In 2024
The U.S. is home to two of the world’s largest stock exchanges, namely NYSE and Nasdaq. Both exchanges follow Eastern Time (ET) trading hours for traders stationed worldwide to buy and sell shares. Here is the Indian Standard Timing for traders in India to follow for buying and selling stocks from the U.S. stock market.
NYSE Trading Hours in Indian Standard Time (IST)
Headquartered in Broad and Wall Street in New York, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is the world’s largest stock exchange established in 1792. NYSE provides traders a platform to buy and sell the equity shares of public companies. Some of the largest companies trade on the NYSE, including Amazon (AMZN) or Apple (AAPL).
In order to get listed on the NYSE, a company needs to have at least 400 shareholders, 1.1 million shares outstanding, earning at least $10 million over the past three years, or global market capitalization of at least $200 million. NYSE allows traders from all over the world to buy or sell equity shares of the public companies. Here is the timing for traders in India to trade on NYSE.
NYSE Trading Hours
Trading in NYSE is open during weekdays from Monday to Friday. The NYSE is closed for trading on Saturday and Sunday, as well as following holidays:
- New Years Day
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
- Presidents Day
- Good Friday
- Memorial Day
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Thanksgiving Day
- Christmas Day
Nasdaq Trading Hours in Indian Standard Time (IST)
Nasdaq is the second-largest stock exchange in the world established in the 1970s, with over 3,700 public companies listed for trade. The Nasdaq made its name as the first all-electronic exchange, and it remains the first choice of many leading tech companies. Companies registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that meet other exchange requirements, and financial thresholds can get listed on Nasdaq. Here is the timing for traders in India to trade on Nasdaq.
Nasdaq Trading Hours
Trading in Nasdaq is open from Monday to Friday. The Indian Standard Timing for trading in Nasdaq is also open for pre-market trading from 2:30 p.m. to 8 p.m, open and closing session from 8 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., and after-hours trading from 2:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Nasdaq Holidays
The Nasdaq is closed for trading on Saturday and Sunday, as well as following holidays:
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
- Presidents Day
- Good Friday
- Memorial Day
- Juneteenth Holiday
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Thanksgiving Day
- Early Close
- Christmas Holiday
How to Buy Stocks in U.S. Stock Exchange
There are various modes of investment to buy U.S. stocks available for traders in India. Some of the popular ones are as follows:
Investment via liberalized remittance scheme (LRS) Limit: Under the LRS of the RBI, investment in overseas foreign stocks is permitted in case of resident Indians. However, certain brokers may require investors to maintain a minimum deposit.
Direct investments: Axis Securities, HDFC Securities, ICICI Direct, among others allow investors in India to directly invest in foreign stocks by opening an overseas trading account. On the other hand, investors are allowed to open an overseas trading account directly with a foreign broker, such as TD Ameritrade, Charles Schwab International Account, etc.
Investment in Foreign Stocks listed on GIFT City IFSC: NSE International Exchange and India International Exchange Limited provide an international trading platform for the Indian investors to invest in the international stocks.
Mutual Funds: An investor can also route his investments in the foreign market via mutual funds. He can either choose between an international fund or an Indian fund which invests in foreign stocks.
New-age apps: Many fintech companies allow Indian investors to invest in stocks listed in the foreign stocks via their mobile application.
Related: Factors to be Considered Before Investment in Foreign Stocks.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are the factors to consider before investment in the U.S. stock exchange?
There are various factors to consider before investing in the U.S. stock exchange, such as country risk, foreign exchange fluctuation risk, volatility risk, economic risk, etc.