Opening Price
The price at which a security's first trade of the session is executed, determined in India by a pre-open call auction.
Formula
Opening Price = the price in the pre-open auction that maximises executable quantity
Unit
₹
In depth
India's equity market does not simply start trading at 9:15; it runs a pre-open session from 9:00 to 9:08 in which orders accumulate and are then matched at the single price that trades the largest quantity. This equilibrium price becomes the open, which is why the open can gap far away from the previous close on overnight news without any trade occurring in between. The opening auction concentrates overnight information into one price rather than letting it leak out through a disorderly first minute. Treating the open as 'yesterday's close plus a bit' misunderstands the mechanism entirely.
Worked example
A stock closes at ₹400 and results are released overnight. In the pre-open auction, the price that maximises matched quantity is ₹436, so the session opens there — a gap of 36 / 400 = 9% with no trade printed anywhere in between.
Illustrative figures, chosen so the arithmetic is easy to follow. Not a live price and not a valuation of any company.
Educational reference only
This entry explains what “Opening Price” means. It is not investment advice and not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Any numbers above are illustrative, not live prices, and nothing here predicts price direction or rates a stock. Consider your own circumstances and consult a SEBI-registered investment adviser before acting.