Amid Gig Workers' Debate, Market Veteran Samir Arora Questions Necessity Of Six-Hour Trading Day

Prominent investor Samir Arora has ignited a fresh discussion among India's trading community by questioning the necessity of six-hour daily stock market sessions, amid the ongoing debate over the income and work conditions of gig workers, especially those working for leading quick commerce (QC) platforms.

In an X post on Saturday, the founder of the Singapore-based asset management company Helios Capital argued that shorter sessions would free up time for employees, deeper research by investors and other pursuits, without sacrificing trading volume.

“Just to get people off the debate on QC, I propose the following topic: Do we really need to have stock trading for 6 hrs a day? Why not just keep the market open for (say) 3 hrs a day. Will give employees more time to do their thing, people to do more research and traders can do another job or read more/think more,” Arora wrote.

“Whatever trades are happening in 6 hrs can happen in 3 hrs also with a little effort,” he suggested.

Currently, the regular trading sessions on the major stock exchanges like the NSE and BSE run from 9:15 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., equating to roughly six hours of continuous trading, excluding pre-open and post-market sessions.

Arora’s suggestion has sparked a fresh debate on social media, with many users supporting his views.

“Absolutely - it's not about the trading hours. But the Non Trading Hours. It's more about how much time we are literally not allowing people to trade when the world is up & running. Particularly in these times when almost every minute there is some update around the world,” wrote a user.

Another comment highlighted that reducing the trading hours can help stock market investors make better decisions.

One user offered a funny take by saying, “Right. It will give enough time for traders to recoup losses by doing a gig job with Zomato/ Swiggy”

Arora's suggestion comes amid a call for a nationwide strike on Dec. 31, 2025, by gig workers demanding fair pay and social security from quick commerce platforms like Blinkit, Zomato and Zepto. Gig workers' unions have raised concerns over several issues, like poor wages, unsafe work environment and the lack of medical insurance, among others.