A sharp fall in capital goods and metal stocks weighed heavily on market bellwether Sensex, which, on Tuesday, ended 21 points down, although shares of blue-chip Reliance Industries rallied to a record high of Rs 1,827.35.
There was fresh selling pressure on metal and capital goods counter, but IT and realty sector stocks were in demand. The 2.86 per cent gain in the scrip of petrochemical giant Reliance Industries, on reports that it has made  a gas discovery in Cauvery basin, helped cushion the fall of the key stock market index.
After resuming firm, the BSE 30-share sensitive index gyrated in a wide range of 15,440.20, a new intra-trade peak, and 15,272.46 before concluding the day at 15,289.82, a marginal fall of 21.40 points or 0.14 per cent.The broader S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) also declined by 15.40 points or 0.34 pc to 4,496.75 from previous close of 4,512.15. It touched a new intra-day high of 4,550.25.
Majority of the IT stocks also were in demand despite rising rupee value on the back of excellent first quarter working results announced by the TCS Ltd on Monday.