No stocks are currently in the F&O ban.
| Symbol | MWPL used | Status |
|---|---|---|
| SAIL | 94.3% | BANNED |
| KAYNES | 93.0% | BANNED |
| AMBUJACEM | 91.9% | BANNED |
| INOXWIND | 87.8% | SAFE |
| CROMPTON | 87.6% | SAFE |
| LICHSGFIN | 87.0% | SAFE |
| MANAPPURAM | 85.1% | SAFE |
| BANDHANBNK | 81.7% | SAFE |
| IDEA | 81.6% | SAFE |
| LICI | 78.2% | SAFE |
| APLAPOLLO | 75.7% | SAFE |
| PATANJALI | 73.7% | SAFE |
| NMDC | 73.1% | SAFE |
| CANBK | 71.7% | SAFE |
| GLENMARK | 70.1% | SAFE |
| IREDA | 68.3% | SAFE |
| PNB | 61.4% | SAFE |
MWPL data as of .
A stock enters the F&O ban when open interest across its futures and options crosses 95 per cent of its market-wide position limit, the cap the exchange sets on how much of a company's free float may sit in open derivative positions at one time. The ban is not a penalty and carries no judgement about the company. It is a plumbing constraint, and what it changes is which orders the exchange will accept from you.
While a stock is banned you may only reduce an existing position. Squaring off is always allowed. Opening a new position, adding to one you already hold, or rolling into a further expiry is not, because a roll opens a fresh leg and the exchange counts that as increasing open interest regardless of what it does to your net exposure. Orders that would increase open interest are rejected outright, and one that slips through attracts a penalty from your broker.
The ban flag is yesterday's news by construction. The exchange publishes the list before the open, derived from the previous session's closing open interest, while utilisation itself keeps moving all day. A name sitting at 88 per cent this afternoon with positions still building is a candidate for tomorrow's list, and the morning file will not tell you that. The same works in reverse: a banned name whose utilisation is falling is close to release, since the exchange lifts the restriction once utilisation drops back under 80 per cent, normally with effect from the next trading day.
Before placing anything in a small or mid-cap F&O name, and before rolling a position near expiry. Those are the two moments this costs real money rather than mild inconvenience. A rejected entry is an annoyance; a roll you cannot execute on expiry day leaves you carrying to settlement a position you had planned to move. Anyone running short option positions in ban-prone names should watch utilisation the way they watch margin, because both constrain what you are permitted to do next rather than what you would like to do.
Banned names also tend to trade differently while restricted. With fresh positions blocked, liquidity thins and the futures can drift further from the underlying than usual, so execution quality degrades at exactly the moment you are most limited in your ability to do anything about it.
It means open interest across that stock's futures and options has crossed 95 per cent of its market-wide position limit. While the ban is in force you may only place orders that reduce an existing position. Any order that would increase open interest is rejected by the exchange, and placing one anyway attracts a penalty from your broker.
Yes. Closing or reducing a position is always allowed during an F&O ban, because it lowers open interest rather than adding to it. What you cannot do is open a new position, add to an existing one, or roll into a further expiry, since a roll opens a fresh leg and the exchange treats that as an increase in open interest.
The exchange recalculates market-wide position limit utilisation after each session. When utilisation falls back below 80 per cent the stock is released from the ban, normally with effect from the next trading day. That is why the utilisation column matters more than the ban flag itself: a falling percentage is the early signal that the restriction is about to lift.
The exchange publishes the ban list before the market opens, derived from the previous day's closing open interest. Utilisation itself keeps moving through the session as positions change, so a stock sitting at 88 per cent this afternoon can appear on tomorrow morning's list. This page tracks utilisation through the day rather than only restating the morning file.
Analytics only. Not investment advice. Last updated .