The turnover was fair and undertone was steady. The CSE's 40-share index moved between 2571.24 points and 2532.66 before closing at 2541.32 points.The recently active counters maintained their good position the early part of the session, but they failed to hold the gains fully due to profit taking partly induced by tomorrow's settlement.

The gainers of the day included Larsen and Toubro at Rs 468.90, ACC at Rs 220.50, Himachal Futuristic at Rs 856.20, SBI at Rs 242.30, TELCO at Rs 48.10, Ranbaxy at Rs 1011.40 and Silverline at Rs 738.20.

But ITC closed lower at Rs 824.10, Tata Tea at Rs 535.80 and Reliance at Rs 318.70 with Sathyam Computer at Rs 2584.80.

In the non-specified list selective fresh interest was in evidence but the tone remained positive.

Meanwhile on BSE, of the total 139 specified scrips, 82 recorded a sharp to moderate gains while 56 showed losses and one held steady. Zee Tele registered the highest turnover of Rs 404.92 crore of the total volume of business of Rs 3484.06 crore.

Other top traded shares were Satyam Computer (Rs 302.78 crore), Reliance Industries(Rs 255.27 crore), Ranbaxy Lab (Rs 251.76 crore) and Himachal Futuristic (Rs 244.75 crore).