The Securities and Exchange Board of India's (SEBI) 2025 restructuring of market operations has created an unexpected challenge for traders navigating 2026's calendar. With seven long weekends scheduled throughout the year, the regulator's decision to shift NSE Nifty expiry from Thursday to Tuesday has introduced what market participants are calling the "zero-buffer trap."

The New Trading Reality

The fundamental change lies in timing and trader flexibility. When markets close on Friday and reopen on Tuesday due to Monday holidays, traders now face immediate expiry day pressures without any adjustment period.

Impact on Position Management

Under the previous framework, Monday holidays presented manageable challenges for traders. The system provided a crucial adjustment window where market participants could:

• Evaluate weekend developments and global market movements
• Modify existing positions based on new information
• Implement risk management strategies before expiry
• Execute corrective trades on Tuesday and Wednesday

The current structure eliminates this flexibility entirely. Traders must now enter long weekends with positions that will face immediate expiry upon market reopening, creating heightened risk exposure.

The Seven Long Weekends Challenge

With 2026 featuring seven such extended market closures, the frequency of these "zero-buffer" situations significantly increases compared to typical years. Each long weekend now represents a compressed decision-making period where traders cannot adjust their strategies based on intervening events or market developments.

The shift reflects SEBI's broader market restructuring efforts, but the unintended consequence has been the creation of these challenging trading windows. Market participants must now develop new strategies to navigate these extended closure periods effectively.

Strategic Implications

The new expiry schedule demands fundamental changes in how traders approach position management around holidays. Without the traditional buffer period, risk assessment and position sizing become critical considerations before entering long weekends. Traders must now factor in the possibility of significant market movements during the extended closure period with no opportunity for mid-course corrections.

Capital markets regulator Sebi has cleared eight companies across healthcare, mobility, infrastructure, manufacturing and consumer segments to proceed with their public listings. The regulator issued its final observations on the draft papers, spanning diverse sectors and indicating regulatory comfort for well-established businesses with scale or niche positioning.

Infrastructure and Construction Sector

Construction and infrastructure firm RKCPL Ltd leads the pack with the largest proposed IPO, aiming to mobilise ₹1,250.00 crore through a combination of fresh equity and offer for sale. The company plans to raise ₹700.00 crore via fresh shares, while promoters will sell ₹550.00 crore worth shares.

Proceeds from the fresh issue will be strategically deployed with ₹200.00 crore earmarked for working capital requirements, ₹130.02 crore for construction equipment purchase, ₹50.00 crore for debt repayment, and ₹138.00 crore for subsidiary investments.

Mobility Sector

Ahmedabad-based passenger mobility company Chartered Speed plans to raise ₹855.00 crore through its IPO. The issue structure combines a fresh equity sale worth ₹655.00 crore and an offer for sale of shares worth ₹200.00 crore by promoters.

Healthcare and Fertility Services

Indira IVF emerges as one of the most prominent names in the current IPO pipeline. The company operates one of India's largest fertility clinic networks, with presence across major cities and tier-II markets. The fertility services provider filed its draft papers with Sebi using the confidential route, allowing the company to withhold public disclosure of details under the draft red herring prospectus until later stages.

Rays of Belief also received approval to launch its public offer after filing papers via confidential route, completing the healthcare segment representation in this approval batch.

Manufacturing and Technology Segments

Mumbai-based Glass Wall Systems India, which manufactures and installs facade systems, received Sebi clearance for its IPO comprising ₹60.00 crore fresh issue and offer-for-sale of 4.02 crore shares by promoters and investors.

Vadodara-based thermal engineering and specialised cable manufacturer Tempsens Instruments India IPO is structured as a book-built issue, comprising a fresh issue worth ₹118.00 crore and offer for sale of up to 1.79 crore equity shares.

Shriram Food Industry Limited, incorporated in 2014 and primarily engaged in rice export to international markets, plans to raise funds through fresh issue of up to 2.12 crore shares and offer for sale of up to 52.00 lakh shares by promoter shareholders.

Jerai Fitness IPO will be entirely an offer for sale of 43.92 lakh equity shares by promoters. The fitness equipment maker offers products to commercial gyms, hotels, corporations, and real estate projects, with exports to Japan, UAE, Australia, Serbia, and Sweden.

All shares will be listed on both BSE and NSE upon successful completion of their respective public offerings.