oil & gas and metal stocks helped the index rebound into the positive zone.
The index touched a day's high of 17,293 in noon deals.
The Sensex finally ended (provisional) with a gain of 12 points at 17,242.
The market breadth was positive - out of 2,793 stocks traded, 1,711 advanced, 1,007 declined and 75 were unchanged today.
The NSE Nifty settled (provisional) with a gain of 13 points at 5,118 points.