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National Stock Exchange Of India

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James Barra

Written By

James Barra

James is an investment writer with a background in financial services. He has worked as a management consultant, where he delivered large-scale operational transformational programmes at some of Europe's biggest banks. James authors, edits and fact-checks content for a series of investing websites.

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Jemma Grist

Edited By

Jemma Grist

Jemma is a writer, editor and fact-checker focused on retail trading and investing. Jemma brings a unique perspective to the forex, stock, and cryptocurrency markets and works across several investment websites as a researcher and broker analyst.

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Fact Checked By

William Berg

Fact Checked By

William Berg

William contributes to several investment websites, leveraging his experience as a consultant for IPOs in the Nordic market and background providing localization for forex trading software. William has worked as a writer and fact-checker for a long row of financial publications.

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Updated

Jun 28, 2024

Brokers with access to the National Stock Exchange (NSE) of India offer trading on the country’s largest financial market. Launched in 1994, the NSE is the principal stock exchange in India with a market capitalization of more than USD 3 trillion, making it the 10th largest stock exchange in the world.

This guide will explain how to review the top NSE brokers in 2024, along with comparison tips. Our trading tutorial also explains how to start investing on the National Stock Exchange of India, from opening hours to strategies and market data.

Comparing NSE Brokers

The first step to trading on the NSE is choosing an online brokerage. Brokers with access to the National Stock Exchange of India facilitate market analysis and trade executions. However, the fees charged and the trading tools provided will differ, along with the regulatory oversight and customer support. Below is a checklist of the key things to consider when choosing between NSE brokers.

• Costs – Intraday NSE trading involves making multiple trades within a day, meaning commission charges can quickly build up. With that said, the cheapest NSE brokers aren’t necessarily the best. Discount brokers may provide limited tools or reduced customer support for example. Popular broker, FXTM, offers a raw spread MT4 account with varying commission fees based on investment volumes (average $0.40 – $2). Also look at minimum account requirements, including deposit and withdrawal fees, plus inactivity penalties.
• Regulation – Make sure that NSE brokers are suitably regulated and have a good reputation before committing to a live profile. For example, in December 2019, the NSE and BSE suspended Karvy Stock Broking Ltd’s license due to non-compliance with exchange and SEBI rules. The brokerage had not segregated its securities from client capital, using the latter for fundraising. NSE brokers with a license from the SEBI are a good place to start. You can search for the company registration number or name on the official NSE website.
• Platforms – Investing on NSE stocks or indices means spending a decent amount of time on either a web-based or app-based trading platform. NSE brokers may provide third-party platforms such as MetaTrader 4 or proprietary software. A demo account is a good way to test the broker’s platforms and tools before committing funds. Note, NSE brokers that offer mobile apps will give you extra flexibility, but make sure it offers all the charts, graphs and analysis tools your strategy requires.
• Features – What additional features you would you benefit from? Feeds with NSE company updates and today’s live news, for example, could be useful. NSE brokers with user-friendly educational content should also rank highly in your comparison. Alternatively, if you are an experienced investor, NSE brokers that provide access to advanced tools such as bots can prove helpful.
• Customer service – What kind of support do the NSE brokers provide? Customer reviews are a good place to start to make sure you open a live account with a responsive broker. IG, for example, offers 24-hour customer service available from 8 AM Saturday to 10 PM Friday. This includes via live chat, email or telephone.

What Is The NSE Of India?

The NSE is India’s largest financial market and premier marketplace for companies preparing to list on a major exchange. It was the country’s first electronic exchange to trade derivatives and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and provide a fully automated screen-based electronic system. In 2021, the NSE was also the world’s largest derivatives exchange by trading volume. It is ranked 4th in the world in equity volume.

The NSE market’s products are organized into three asset classes: the capital market for the listing and trading of equities, the fixed-income securities market, and the derivatives market. Look out for these on your NSE brokers’ platform. The National Stock Exchange of India’s products offer trading, investment, clearing and settlement services in the following sectors:

• Equity
• Indices
• Mutual fund
• Interest rate futures
• Currency derivatives
• Initial public offerings
• Commodity derivatives
• Exchange-traded funds
• Debt (corporate bonds)
• Security lending & borrowing
• Equity derivatives (including global indices like the FTSE, Dow Jones, and S&P)

The NSE flagship index is the NIFTY 50, which tracks the largest assets in the Indian equity market. It is used extensively by investors in India and around the world.

To summarize, the NSE’s business model comprises exchange listings, investment services, indices, market data feeds and financial education services.

A Brief History

The National Stock Exchange of India was incorporated in 1992 in Mumbai by a group of financial institutions, much to the dislike of the Indian government. The exchange was created to encourage transparency in the Indian equity markets so that trading memberships could be extended beyond a group of NSE brokers.

The NSE was first recognized as a stock exchange in April 1993 and began operating in 1994. It was the first exchange in India to offer electronic or screen-based trading, offering easy investment facilities to traders across the country. The NSE was also a key player in the creation of the National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL), which enables investors to securely hold and transfer their shares and bonds online. The NSDL’s security, combined with NSE’s transparency, low transaction prices and efficiency, make the Indian stock market an attractive option for local and foreign investors.

The NSE is now ranked as the largest stock exchange in India in terms of total and average daily turnover for equity shares every year since 1995.

However, unlike countries like the US, the corporate sector in India only accounts for 12-14% of the country’s national GDP. Only 4,000 listed companies trade on the NSE, accounting for only around 4% of the Indian economy.

In 2021, NSE markets were launched that featured weekly futures and options (F&O) contracts on forex pairs, including EUR/INR, GBP/INR and JPY/INR. The exchange also launched its first commodity options contracts on gold and silver.

NSE Corporate Structure

The NSE Group has grown over the past 25 years, establishing various subsidiaries to provide additional product offerings beyond traditional listing and investment services:

NSE Academy

The National Stock Exchange of India has developed a variety of learning and training opportunities. NSE Academy Limited is a subsidiary of NSE Investments Limited and was set up to promote financial literacy. It has collaborated with several universities in India to offer MBA and BBA courses. The NSE has also created mock market simulator software called NSE Learn to Trade (NLT). The software helps users to develop and practice their investment and portfolio management skills.

Under its Certification in Financial Markets (NCFM) programs, the NSE group conducts online exams for beginners as well as advanced traders. Currently, there are 46 certifiable modules listed on the NSE website, which cover several sectors across financial and capital markets.

Since August 2009, the NSE has offered a short-term course called NSE Certified Capital Market Professional (NCCMP). The course is a 100-hour program conducted over three or four months. During the course, students receive theoretical and practical training in capital market-related subjects such as equity markets, debt markets, technical analysis and fundamental analysis.

Note, the best NSE brokers also offer beginner-friendly training materials.

Other Subsidiaries

• NSE Investments – This company was formed to make and/or hold strategic investments in equity shares and/or other securities. It explores investment opportunities in technology, indices, education, private marketplaces & exchanges, payments, platforms and many more.
• NSE Clearing – As the first clearing corporation to be established in India, NSE Clearing Limited is a wholly-owned subsidiary responsible for the clearing and settlement of all trades executed on the NSE markets. It also deals with deposit and collateral management and risk management functions. It also introduced a settlement guarantee before it became a regulatory requirement. Its objectives are to bring and sustain confidence in the clearing and settlement of securities, provide a counter-party risk guarantee and operate a tight risk containment system.
• NSE Data & Analytics – Formerly known as DotEx International Limited, this is a wholly-owned subsidiary of NSE that was set up solely to provide data and info-vending products, including an online streaming data feed, snapshot data feed, end-of-day data, volume data and historical and corporate data.
• NSE Foundation – The NSE Foundation undertakes the Corporate Social Responsibility activities of the NSE with a vision of enhancing the lives of underprivileged and marginalized communities. The NSE Foundation focuses its activities on primary education, elderly care and sanitation, and safe drinking water.
• NSEIT – NSEIT is a global technology enterprise, focussing on delivering excellence in a digital environment in banking, insurance, capital market ecosystems and online exams.
• NSE IFSC – This is a proposed new exchange that applied to SEBI for in-principal approval to establish an international exchange in Gujarat International Finance Tech City – International Financial Service Centre (GIFT IFSC). It is intended to grow the financial market and bring capital to India. Stock exchanges in GIFT IFSC will be allowed to offer investments in securities in any currency other than the Indian rupee and equity shares of companies incorporated outside India. Trading days would also be longer than currently permitted in India.

NSE Indices

Since September 2016, the NSE has owned and managed a portfolio of 67 indices under the NIFTY brand. NIFTY indices are broad-market indices that are used as benchmarks for products trading on NSE and served as the benchmark index for 38 ETFs listed in India and 12 ETFs listed abroad. Importantly, not all NSE brokers offer access to each NIFTY index.

NIFTY 50

The NIFTY 50 is an index of 50 of the largest companies listed on the National Stock Exchange of India, and the index you are most likely to come across when investing with NSE brokers. It is widely used by traders to assess the performance of the stock market as a whole because it covers stocks across 14 different sectors of the economy. It represents about 66% of the free-float market capitalization of the stocks listed on the NSE.

It is used for a variety of purposes such as benchmarking fund portfolios, index-based derivatives and index funds. NIFTY 50 is suitable for derivative investments such as futures and options.

Other Indices

On top of the well-known NIFTY 50 index there exist other important indices within the NIFTY umbrella to look out for on your NSE brokers’ platform, including:

• NIFTY Next 50: represents 50 companies from NIFTY 100, excluding the NIFTY 50 companies. This index represents 10% of the free-float market capitalization of the stocks listed on the NSE.
• NIFTY 100 Index: NIFTY 100 is a diversified 100 stock index representing major sectors of the economy. It tracks the behavior of the combined portfolio of two indices: the NIFTY 50 and NIFTY Next 50, making up about 76% of the free-float market capitalization of the stocks listed on the NSE.
• NIFTY 200 Index: includes all companies as part of NIFTY 100 and NIFTY Full Midcap 100 index.
• NIFTY 500 Index: this index tracks the 500 largest stocks on the NSE.
• NIFTY 500 Multicap 50:25:25 Index: This aims to measure the performance of large, mid and small market capitalization companies with target weights assigned to each size segment. It includes all companies that are part of the NIFTY 500 index but the total weight of each of these three segments is fixed at 50%, 25% and 25%, respectively, at every quarterly rebalance date rather than being based on the total free-float market capitalization of all stocks falling within that size segment.

Platforms

NSE has a pan-India, high-speed network that is supported by more than 181,500 terminals. Its platforms include:

• National Exchange for Automated Trading (NEAT) – NEAT is a screen-based system whose scalability allows it to support higher volumes per day and maintain high uptime records and low-latency levels for trade orders from terminals. Investing data on NEAT is released almost instantly to its users. NEAT+ provides a unified interface for members active in multiple markets on the NSE.
• Non-NEAT – NSE members are offered the option to customize the platform according to their requirements. Developing a Non-NEAT front-end through a computer-to-computer link (CTCL) which allows members to use their own software to trade on the NSE. Users can also procure Non-NEAT front-end software solutions from various vendors or application service providers. For developing Non-NEAT front-end apps, members need to refer to trading protocol documents and guides provided on the NSE website.
• NSE NOW – NSE Now is one of the country’s most widely used platforms. The software is available as a PC desktop client, web terminal or mobile app. It is licensed to more than 100 NSE brokers and used by millions of traders. Its attractive features include a robust risk management system, advanced graphs and charts and both day and net-wise trading reports.
• NSE EMERGE – Launched in September 2012, NSE EMERGE is a platform for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) and startup firms in India. The benefit of this new initiative is that these new companies can get listed on the NSE without an initial public offering (IPO), meaning they can connect with investors who can help them raise funds. The 200th company was listed on NSE EMERGE in August 2019.

The NSE is determined to provide members with a robust platform for issue-free investing, whether that be directly or with NSE brokers. To ensure this, the National Stock Exchange of India conducts contingency drills or mock sessions to test its recovery and response mechanisms. The NSE advises that the large-scale participation of members is key to the success of the testing session. To allow participants time to plan, the NSE provides a mock schedule, of which the 2024 calendar is currently available.

NSE Vs BSE

The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) is another Indian stock exchange, located in Mumbai. It was established in 1875, making it older than the NSE and South Asia’s second-oldest stock exchange. It is the 9th largest stock exchange in the world and was the first to be recognized by the Indian Government under the Securities Contracts Regulation Act.

However, with a 98% market share, the NSE is India’s leading stock exchange. The BSE has a 2% share despite being the older of the two. The BSE promotes equity, debt instruments, mutual funds, currencies and derivatives while the NSE promotes equity, equity derivatives, debt and currency derivatives segments.

The NSE was forced to halt trading across brokers like Zerodha in February 2021 after a glitch froze stock and index prices. Investment opportunities were halted after prices stopped updating and all open orders were canceled by the exchange. Its rival, the BSE, continued to function without any issues. Regular NSE investing resumed four hours later and the exchange revised its opening hours as a result. However, technology glitches have affected other exchanges, including the US’ Nasdaq.

Market Opening Hours

The National Stock Exchange of India uses the India Standard Time (IST) timezone, which does not observe daylight saving time. The MIC code for the India National Stock Exchange is XNSE. This MIC may encompass multiple trading venues with distinct hours, holidays, rules and securities.

The NSE investment window is 6 hours 15 minutes per day. The NSE does not have pre-market or after-hours sessions, which is reflected by all NSE brokers. The NSE’s trading hours are listed below.

• 09:00 to 09:08 IST (pre-open session, with random closure in the last 1 minute)
• 09:15 to 15:30 IST (regular session)
• 15:40 to 16:00 IST (closing session)

Investments on the NSE are permitted Monday to Friday and are not available on Saturday and Sunday nor public holidays, as specified on the NSE website.

However, market timings do vary. For example, Securities Lending & Borrowing and Currency Derivatives markets are open for an extra hour, until 17:00 IST, while commodity derivatives close at 23:30 IST.

Ultimately, the NSE market opening hours and holidays differ between the different markets, such as equity trading, futures & options (F&O) and others, so it is best to check the NSE website in advance. The top brokers with access to the National Stock Exchange also publish opening hours in their platforms.

NSE Holidays

The number of trading days in a year can vary based on the number of weekends and national holidays. Online calculators can help you figure out how many days there are in 2024.

Zerodha, one of India’s biggest brokers, posts a list of holidays for every calendar year for stock exchanges in India, including the NSE and the BSE.

However, Muhurat trading is the auspicious hour in the Indian stock market on Diwali. It is usually announced by exchanges like the NSE who notify investors of the non-scheduled  hour. As Diwali marks the beginning of a New Year, Muhurat trading is believed to bring wealth and prosperity for the year ahead.

NSE Rules & Regulation

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is the regulatory authority and principal regulator for stock exchanges in India, including the NSE. SEBI’s primary functions include protecting investor interests, and promoting and regulating the Indian securities markets.

As an entity regulated by SEBI, the NSE undergoes regular inspections to ensure compliance and must set out rules and regulations to govern the securities market. These extend to member registration, securities listing, transaction monitoring, compliance by members to SEBI regulations and investor protection.

As outlined above, when comparing NSE brokers, ensure they provide an adequate level of consumer protection. This typically comes from those NSE brokers with top-tier regulatory oversight.

Listing Process

Listing of securities can be done in either Capital Market or Wholesale Debt Market. There are some key requirements that companies must meet in their National Stock Exchange of India trading application. Some of the important registration standards include:

• Companies must be registered as a Public Company under the Companies Act 1956 or Companies Act 2013
• Companies must be at least 3 years old with 2 years of positive net worth
• Post issue paid-up capital should not be more than 25 crore rupees (250 million rupees)
• Company profiles on management and projects undertaken are required
• Certified copies of documents including 3 years of annual reports and Memorandum & Articles of Association are required
• A 5-year projected business plan, including balance sheet, P&L, and cashflow

However, in September 2012, a new NSE platform was launched. NSE EMERGE is an initiative for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) and startup firms in India.

Membership

The NSE has introduced various eligibility requirements that its members must meet to trade on the exchange. All members of the NSE must register themselves with the Securities and Exchange Board before commencing operations. Along with the relevant member fees and security deposit, the applicant must adhere to various rules:

• Individuals (or sole proprietors) must be Indian citizens over the age of 21 and should have at least 2 years experience as a partner with, or an authorized assistant, clerk, remisier or apprentice to, an existing member.
• No person can be admitted to the members list of the NSE unless they have passed the Certification Programme conducted by the NSE for the specific segment of the exchange.
• LLPs must be formed and registered under the Limited Liability Partnership Act, 2008.
• Designated Partners of registered Partnership Firms or LLPs should have a minimum of 2 years of experience in an activity related to dealing in securities, portfolio management or in financial services or brokerage activities.
• Membership is restricted to one segment.
• Members must be free from any bankruptcy or criminal proceedings.

How To Start Day Trading On The NSE

Strategy

Having a well-thought-out strategy can make a significant difference to the profit you take home at the end of an NSE trading day. In today’s world of stock charts and market data, using technical analysis effectively can be key. The right chart can make vital information like historical price data clearer so you can better interpret market patterns, allowing you to predict future price movements.

Investors often follow FII (foreign institutional investors) and DII (domestic institutional investors) trading activity to help inform their investment decisions. FIIs and DIIs are key players in the market, maintaining market liquidity and, in recent years, changes in ownership of Indian equities have occurred where control has shifted from FIIs to DIIs. FIIs look at the global market while DIIs are essential for strengthening the domestic Indian market where participation is low.

As part of its Certification and Programs offering, the NSE offers various courses enabling students to learn how to practically implement various strategies, including live strategies and intraday systems in the equity, forex and commodities markets. The strategy course fees typically range between INR 15,000 and 20,000.

Choose A Stock

A key aspect of investing on the NSE is screening the stocks to trade to determine which of the thousands of companies will provide maximum profit potential. The decision between choosing popular stocks versus IPOs is a big one.

Things to consider when choosing stocks are volume (the total number of shares being traded within a certain time), volatility (how risky and unpredictable are they), and how you can apply these. The NSE publishes a list of its top 20 gainers and losers on any index on its website and TradingView.

This information will also be offered by some of the top NSE brokers. Look out for financial metrics, and the latest company news. These currently include Mahindra & Mahindra Limited (M&M) and Reliance Industries Limited (Reliance). It is also possible to see which companies’ stocks and shares are trading at a 52-week low.

NSE Trading Tips

Demo Account

The NSE offers a free F&O virtual investment account and interface called NSE Paathshaala. This allows traders to practice their strategies in real-time market values and is particularly useful for beginners who want to try out virtually before parting with actual money.

Traders are given a 5 lakhs (500,000 rupees) limit to practice with, similar to the paper trading profiles you will find on your NSE brokers’ websites. The portal uses the NSE Now (NEAT On Web) platform, which is similar to the Zerodha interface.

News

The latest news can impact NSE indices’ price movements. Successful traders need to keep updated with the news today as it can give them a competitive edge ahead of the next day.

NSE investment WhatsApp and Telegram channels and groups are also a good source of news, calls, ideas and stock market tips for tomorrow for every type of trading on NSE, whether F&O or intraday. Some NSE brokers will also host community forums for like-minded investors to share ideas and insights.

NSE Data

NSE (and BSE) publish trading data on their websites. This data can be valuable for stock market investors as company insiders, such as promotors and top management, are more exposed to the ins and outs of the company’s plans. Trading activity can offer clues on how companies will perform and so traders should keep an eye on what company insiders are doing with their shares. So long as the information has been made public, this is not considered to be illegal.

Risk Management

If you intend to trade in F&Os, it’s important to know that the NSE, like many other stock exchanges, imposes a securities ban at certain times. During the ban periods, traders are not permitted to open new positions in stocks under the ban but they may reduce their position. The ban prevents excessive speculative activity and is imposed when the aggregate open interest of a stock crosses 95% of the market-wide position limit.

Educational Resources

As markets and instruments change and evolve, traders must learn to adapt at the same time. Fortunately, there are a plethora of resources to help you improve your skills and knowledge. As mentioned, the NSE Academy provides its own courses and programs but there are others out there for you to use. Books and ebooks on the NSE are handy tools. Similarly, downloadable PDFs can guide you through options trades, for example, and various price charts on the NSE.

Alternatively, the best NSE brokers will provide comprehensive educational resources suitable for both new and experienced traders.

Automation

Algo (algorithmic) or auto robot investing has become increasingly popular in India and is available on the NSE. Automated trading can take out the emotion of investing and reduce the risk of making irrational decisions that could ultimately damage your profits. Look out for this advanced investment feature at NSE brokers. Algo trading automates investments via APIs so you do not have to sit and monitor the markets all the time.

Journals

You may want to consider keeping an investment journal as a way of monitoring and improving your NSE trading performance. You can keep a record of your journal in an Excel spreadsheet or via NSE brokers’ platforms by making a note of the following:

• Price
• Position size
• Entry & exit position
• Date of purchase & sale
• Reason for making the trade

With all this information in one place, you can better analyze your performance and identify any problems today, rather than tomorrow.

Final Word On NSE Brokers

The NSE is India’s leading stock exchange. It has always been a pioneer in Indian financial markets, being the first electronic order book to trade derivatives and ETFs. It consistently aims to assess and improve its platforms, systems and operations and continues to introduce helpful features for traders. It is ranked 4th in the world by equity volume. The NIFTY indices continue to house some of the largest Indian companies and will continue to change.

If you want to be successful when NSE trading, consider the tips outlined in this guide, whilst also investigating the various online resources available. Head to our list of the best NSE brokers to start trading today.

FAQs

What Are The Main Indices Of The NSE?

The NIFTY 50 lists 50 of the largest companies on the National Stock Exchange of India. Many investors in India use it to gauge the stock market as a whole, as it covers companies across 14 different sectors and represents about 66% of the free-float market capitalization of the stocks listed on the NSE. The NIFTY 100 represents the top 100 companies and is a combined portfolio of the NIFTY 50 and NIFTY Next 50. The NIFTY 500 Index tracks the 500 largest stocks on the NSE markets. Not all brokers with access to the National Stock Exchange of India will offer each index.

What Segments Are Offered By The NSE?

The NSE offers the following segments: Capital Market, Equity Derivatives, Currency Derivatives /IRF and Debt. These create exciting opportunities to trade via registered NSE brokers.

Is The NSE Of India Open For Weekend Investments?

No, you cannot trade on the NSE on Saturday or Sunday. Market opening hours are only open Monday to Friday, excluding any additional holidays. This information will be reflected within your NSE brokers’ integrated calendar. With that said, Muhurat means investors can trade on Diwali for one hour.

Can I Trade On The NSE Without A Broker?

Generally, retail investors cannot trade on the NSE without online brokers. You need an investment account with regular or discount brokers such as Zerodha. It was reported that SEBI was considering allowing direct market access (DMA) to retail investors. Some investors have also reported trading with Finvasia, which allows users to trade in all major exchanges like the NSE.

Which Is Better For Day Trading, The NSE Or BSE?

While the National Stock Exchange (NSE) is the biggest in India, the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) is the oldest. The NSE has more trading volume, meaning more buyers and sellers for stocks are available. The NSE also has more liquidity than the BSE. However, the BSE has a bigger list of stocks available.