Everything you need to know about trading and investing in India's stock markets.
- NSE (National Stock Exchange): Primary exchange, highest volumes
- BSE (Bombay Stock Exchange): Asia's oldest exchange (1875)
| Index | Composition | Significance |
|---|
| Nifty 50 | Top 50 NSE companies | India's benchmark |
| Sensex | Top 30 BSE companies | Oldest Indian index |
| Bank Nifty | Top 12 banking stocks | Most traded for F&O |
| Nifty Midcap 100 | Mid-cap companies | Growth segment |
| Nifty Smallcap 250 | Small-cap companies | High risk/reward |
| Session | Timing |
|---|
| Pre-open | 9:00 AM - 9:08 AM |
| Normal | 9:15 AM - 3:30 PM |
| Post-close | 3:40 PM - 4:00 PM |
- SEBI: Securities and Exchange Board of India (regulator)
- Depositories: NSDL & CDSL (hold shares electronically)
- Clearing Corp: NSE Clearing, Indian Clearing (settlement)
- Demat Account: Holds your shares electronically
- Trading Account: Place buy/sell orders
- Bank Account: Fund transfers (linked to above)
Most brokers provide all three: Zerodha, Groww, Angel One, Upstox
| Type | Tax Rate | Holding Period |
|---|
| STCG (Equity) | 20% | < 12 months |
| LTCG (Equity) | 12.5% (above ₹1.25L) | > 12 months |
| F&O Income | Slab rate (business income) | N/A |
| Dividend | Slab rate | N/A |
- STT: 0.025% (buy) + 0.025% (sell) for delivery
- Brokerage: ₹0-20 per order (discount brokers)
- GST: 18% on brokerage
- Stamp Duty: Varies by state
- SEBI Turnover Fee: Negligible
- Lot sizes: Nifty (25), Bank Nifty (15), stocks (varies)
- Expiry: Weekly (Thursday) for index; Monthly for stocks
- Margin: SPAN + Exposure margin required
- P&L: Settled to account T+1 for F&O