Sensex ends at 13,681, down 26pts

A freak trade in ICICI Bank, wherein the stock touched a low of Rs 827 in the opening trades as against its previous close at Rs 891, led the Sensex open with a negative gap of 40 points at 13,667.

The index soon bounced into the positive zone and rallied to a new all-time intra-day high of 13,791. However, the index was not able to sustain at higher levels as selective profit taking following the recent gains (up 276 points in the last two trading sessions) saw the index drop back into the negative zone.

The index slipped to a low of 13,643 - down 148 points in the late noon deals. Some buying at close saw the Sensex recover some of its lost ground and finally settle with a marginal loss of 26 points at 13,681.