The index, however, could not hold gains and slipped into the negative zone. The index dropped to a low of 16,626 - down 428 points from the day's high in late noon deals. The Sensex finally ended (provisional) with a loss of 248 points at 16,659.
The market breadth was negative - out of 2,778 stocks traded, 786 advanced, 1,921 declined and 71 were unchanged today.
The NSE Nifty settled (provisional) with a loss of 77 points at 4,948 points.