Sensex ends at 12,884, down 44pts

Backed by strong Q2 performance by India Inc, the Sensex opened with a positive gap of 54 points at 12,982, and soon spurted to a new all-time intra-day high of 12,994.

However, profit taking after a three-day rally saw the index slip into the negative zone. The index dropped to a low of 12,819 - down 175 points from the peak.

Selective buying towards the close helped the index erase some losses and settle at 12,884, down 44 points.