Sensex ends down 82pts at 8,862

The Sensex opened flat at 8,942 - down two points. The index after marginally shaky start firmed up and rallied past the 9,000-mark to a high of 9,024.

The index however could not hold gains for long as profit-taking in banking and weakness in IT stocks dragged the index back into the negative territory. The index tumbled to a low of 8,802 - down 222 points from the day's high.

Selective buying at lower levels helped the index recover some losses at close. The Sensex finally (provisional) ended with a loss of 82 points at 8,862.