The Indian stock market will be open for a special trading session today, Saturday, February 1, 2025, as Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presents the Union Budget for the fiscal year 2025-26. Both the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and the BSE confirmed in a circular issued earlier this week that trading will continue as per regular market hours.Market timings for Budget dayOn Budget day, the trading schedule will follow its usual timings. Pre-market trading will begin at 9:00 AM and run until 9:08 AM, after which equity market trading will take place from 9:15 AM to 3:30 PM.In addition, commodity derivatives trading will remain open until 5:00 PM. However, since February 1, 2025, is a settlement holiday, trades and fund transactions from January 31 and February 1 will be settled on Monday, February 3, 2025. The T+0 settlement session will also be suspended for the day.Why is the stock market open on Budget day?The decision to keep the markets open on a Saturday aligns with past practices, when markets opened on Saturdays for budget announcements, notably in 2020 and 2015. This allows investors to react promptly to the fiscal policies, tax reforms, and sector-specific allocations announced in the Union Budget, which can significantly influence market movements.Historically, the Union Budget was presented on the last working day of February. However, in 2017, then-Finance Minister Arun Jaitley moved the date to February 1, providing the government more time to implement its policies within the current financial year. Since then, the Union Budget has been presented on this date each year.Also read | Time to buy the dip? Stock market indicates oversold levelThe Union Budget is a key event for the stock market, setting the economic agenda for the year ahead. Policy announcements, fiscal measures, tax changes, and sectoral allocations can lead to immediate market reactions. Analysts and investors will be closely monitoring Sitharaman's proposals, especially in sectors such as infrastructure, banking, manufacturing, and healthcare, which could see heightened market volatility based on the new budgetary measures.Today’s special session provides an important opportunity for market participants to adjust their portfolios based on the new budget proposals. With Sitharaman presenting her eighth consecutive budget, the market is expected to reflect the immediate impacts of the government's fiscal roadmap.Also read | Small and midcap stocks down 15% in 4 months, Nuvama shares 20 bottom-up ideas(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of Economic Times)