 "Markets remain under pressure; IT stocks gain")
At 1245hrs, the Sensex was down 20 points at 19,233 and the Nifty gave off 11 points to trade at 5,808 levels.
In the broader markets, the smallcap index added 0.2% outperforming the midcap and the BSE benchmark index, which slipped nearly 0.1% each.
Asian shares mostly fell with investors focusing on meetings of the central banks of Britain and the euro zone for signs of more policy stimulus after the Bank of Japan kept policy on hold.
Japan's Nikkei stock average was one major exception, which gained 0.3% soaring to its highest since late September 2008, cheered by another all-time high close for the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average on Wednesday.
The MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 0.4 percent, having recouped much of its losses incurred on Monday when it tumbled to a nine-week low.
Back home, among the sectoral indices, IT index retained gains and was up 1.5% along with Capital Goods, Realty, Health Care and Power indices, gaining 0.3-0.8%.
On the other hand, Metal, Oil & Gas, PSU, Consumer Durables, FMCG, Auto and Bankex indices remained weak, losing 0.3-1% in noon deals.
Hero MotoCorp gained 3% and was the top Sensex gainer after Kotak Institutional Equities upgrades the stock to "add" from "sell".
The other gainers included IT names like TCS, Wipro, Infosys gaining 1-2%, trading near their 52-week highs.
Sun Pharma, BHEL, L&T too added 1-1.5%.
Meanwhile, metal names continued to remain weak with Jindal Steel, Hindalco and Tata Steel, down 2-3% and were the top losers among the Sensex-30.
Tata Motors, Hindustan Unilever, ONGC, Reliance Industries, Gail India and HDFC down 0.7-1.5% were the other prominent losers.
Among individual stocks, Rollatainers was locked at 10% upper circuit at Rs 208 after the containers and packaging company signed a Joint Venture Agreement with Toyo Machine Manufacturing Company Limited.
DLF was trading higher by 2.1% at Rs 275 after its board approved the issuance of fresh equity shares to dilute promoter group holding in the company to meet Sebi norms of 25% minimum public shareholding.
The market breadth was negative. 1,332 stocks declined while 1,193 stocks advanced on the BSE.