The Sensex opened with a positive gap of six points at 3,932. The mood was bullish in morning trades on buying in heavyweights, cement and select PSUs, which pushing the index to an intra-day high of 3,959.

Profit-taking emerged in late afteroon trades in old and new economy stocks, and the index slipped to an intra-day low of 3,909. The Sensex finally wrapped up the day with a loss of five points at 3,921. The Nifty, however, ended up a point at 1,248.

While 17 Sensex stocks declined, 13 advanced today. The traded volume and value were lower at 2.27 crore and Rs 687.54 crore, respectively.

Heavyweights and PSUs ended in negative territories.

ITC ended with a loss of Rs 7 at Rs 764. Reliance, too, ended at lower levels at Rs 359 - down Rs 3. HLL, however, traded on a steady note through the session and gained Rs 2 to Rs 178.

HPCL and MTNL were down a per cent each at Rs 357 (down Rs 5) and Rs 126, respectively. SBI slipped from higher levels to finish down a rupee at Rs 431. BHEL, however, gained ground and added 2% (Rs 8) to close at Rs 307.

Tech pivotals registered losses. Infosys faltered under selling pressure, and finished down a per cent (Rs 35) at Rs 3,419. HCL Tech lost 2% (Rs 3) to Rs 164. Satyam ended marginally lower at Rs 198.

Auto majors fared well on the back of impressive July sales. Telco rallied sharply on strong buying support and surged 3% (Rs 7) to Rs 255. More than 24 lakh shares were traded on BSE with a turnover of Rs 62 crore.

Bajaj, after trading with steady gains till early afternoon trades, spurted thereafter on renewed buying to end with a gain of 2% (Rs 15) at Rs 672. Hero Honda, however, succumbed to losses on selling pressure to finish with a loss of 3% (Rs 7) at Rs 267.

Cement and pharma stocks displayed mixed trends. Grasim remained firm through the session, and logged 3% gains (Rs 20) to Rs 614.

More than two lakh shares were traded on BSE with a turnover of Rs 17 crore. L&T rose 2% (Rs 5) to Rs 278. Gujarat Ambuja at Rs 234 (down Rs 2) and ACC at Rs 206 (down Rs 3) slipped from higher levels.

Dr. Reddy's gained Rs 15 to close at Rs 1,065. Glaxo ended with a gain of Rs 3 at Rs 412. Cipla, however, was down a per cent (Rs 5) at Rs 856. Ranbaxy was down a rupee at Rs 835.

Hindalco moved up a per cent (Rs 5) to Rs 896. Nestle and Tisco added Rs 3 each to Rs 575 and Rs 243, respectively. HDFC, which dropped 2% yesterday, extended its losses for the second straight day, and shed nearly 3% (Rs 14) to Rs 456. ICICI Bank closed in the red with a loss of 2% (Rs 3) at Rs 156. Zee, too, lost 2% to close at Rs 118.

Tech stocks were largely weak today. i-flex reeled under sustained selling pressure, and dropped nearly 6% (Rs 60) to Rs 1,005. Digital lost 3% (Rs 16) to Rs 439. Hughes and Polaris, too, dipped 3% each to Rs 282 (down Rs 9) and Rs 107 (down Rs 4), respectively.

While Mastek shed 2% (Rs 4) to Rs 198, Wipro was down a per cent (Rs 14) at Rs 911. Moser Baer, however, surged 5% (Rs 14) to Rs 285.

Oil PSUs displayed negative trends. IOC ended on a weak note with a loss of nearly 4% (Rs 12) at Rs 333. While ONGC slipped a per cent (Rs 8) to Rs 548, IBP closed down a rupee at Rs 631. BPCL, however, ended up a per cent (Rs 2) at Rs 288.

SAIL zoomed 10% (Rs 4) to Rs 40. More than 2.22 crore shares were traded on BSE with a turnover of Rs 86 crore.

Maruti, which will be included in the MSCI India Index w.e.f August 29, came off the day's high of Rs 225 and finished down a rupee.