Sensex ends up 26pts at 15,261

The Sensex opened with a positive gap of 43 points at 15,278, but soon slipped owing to nervousness in early trades following a steep fall on Friday. The index tumbled to a low of 15,135 - down 143 points from the day's open.

Aggressive buying in select stocks like Hindustan Unilever, SBI and cement shares helped the index rebound into positive zone. The buying momentum was so strong in mid-noon trades that the index rallied to a high of 15,452 - up 317 points from the day's low.

Intra-day profit-taking, lateron, saw the index pare most of its gains. The Sensex finally ended with a marginal gain of 26 points at 15,261.