Sensex close: 41 points down

The 30-share sensitive index, which opened higher by 186.01 points ended in the red at 13,340.21.

In highly volatile trade, the benchmark Sensex ended over 41 points down on the Bombay Stock Exchange on Wednesday as funds and investors preferred to book profits and change their portfolios.

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The BSE 30-share sensitive index, Sensex, which opened higher by 186.01 points in early trade on the back of a rally in heavyweight stocks, succumbed to profit-taking and ended in the red with a fall of 41.80 points at 13,340.21. Earlier, the key index touched the day's low of 13,232.56 points.

Similarly, the wide-based National Stock Exchange index, Nifty, ended 16.45 points down at 3,815.55 after moving between 3,886.10 and 3,787.55 points.

The major losers were Reliance Industries, Reliance Communications, Reliance Energy, Bajaj Auto, Tata Motors, Hero Honda, Bharti Airtel, Grasim, Larsen and Toubro, HDFC Bank, State Bank of India and BHEL.

However, a surge in index-heaviest Infosys, Housing Development and Finance Corp, Maruti Udyog, Tata Steel, ONGC, ACC, Cipla and ITC Ltd saved the Sensex from a major fall.