The Sensex zoomed past the 4,400-mark at the opening bell. The index moved with steady gains till mid-afternoon deals, but perked up thereafter on steep advances in heavyweights, pharma and cement stocks to touch the day's high of 4,445.

The Sensex finally settled at 4,434 - a neat gain of 65 points. The Nifty added 19 points to close at 1,417.

While 21 Sensex stocks advanced, nine declined today. The traded volume and value totalled 2.52 crore and Rs 1,054.69 crore, respectively.

Heavyweights and pharma stocks led the rally today.

Reliance commenced on a positive note, but perked up in afternoon trades to finish 4% (Rs 17) higher at Rs 436. More than 36 lakh shares were traded on the BSE with a turnover of Rs 155 crore. ITC added nearly 2% (Rs 13) to Rs 851. HLL ended up a rupee at Rs 195.

Glaxo zoomed 8% (Rs 33) to Rs 466. While Ranbaxy shot up nearly 3% (Rs 27) to Rs 1,062, Dr. Reddy's and Cipla clocked 2% gains each to Rs 1,152 (up Rs 20) and Rs 999 (up Rs 22), respectively.

Tech stocks, too, ended at higher levels. Infosys came off the day's high of Rs 4,349 on profit-taking, but closed up a per cent (Rs 41) at Rs 4,247. Over 2.66 lakh shares were traded on the BSE with a turnover of Rs 114 crore. HCL Tech (up 6% or Rs 12 to Rs 224) and Satyam (up 3% or Rs 8 to Rs 261) firmed up on strong buying support.

Grasim and Gujarat Ambuja notched up 3% gains each to Rs 632 (up Rs 17) and Rs 238 (up Rs 6), respectively. While L&T moved up 2% (Rs 6) to Rs 295, ACC closed up a rupee at Rs 217.

PSU frontliners ended with steady gains. SBI gained 2% (Rs 8) to Rs 443. HPCL remained steady through the session and closed up a per cent (Rs 2) at Rs 413. BHEL traded on a lacklustre note, but ended up a tad at Rs 350. MTNL, however, ended down a rupee at Rs 125.

Bajaj and Hero Honda were weak since opening trades, and closed down a per cent each at Rs 725 (down Rs 5) and Rs 284 (down Rs 3), respectively. Telco, however, gained 2% (Rs 6) to Rs 290.

Tisco and Zee slipped from higher levels and ended in negative territories at Rs 265 (down Rs 2) and Rs 112 (down Rs 3), respectively. While Nestle was down a per cent (Rs 5) at Rs 571, ICICI Bank ended marginally lower at Rs 182. Castrol, however, traded in the green to finish 3% higher (Rs 7) at Rs 207.

Pharma stocks were the star attractions for the day. Aurobindo Pharma surged 16% (Rs 87) to Rs 615. Pfizer, which received the SC clearance today for Parke-Davis merger, spurted 15% (Rs 60) to Rs 460. JB Chem and Pharma rose 14% (up Rs 36) to Rs 300 after the compnay announced a US deal for selling Ciprofloaxcin.

While Cadila Healthcare advanced 12% (Rs 35) to Rs 338, Novartis surged 10% (Rs 27) to Rs 289. Torrent Pharma also ended with a gain of 9% (Rs 35) at Rs 418.

Tech stocks ended with gains today. Wipro added 2% (Rs 20) to Rs 1,268. Over 2.28 lakh shares changed hands on the BSE with a turnover of Rs 28 crore. While Mphasis moved up nearly 3% (Rs 12) to Rs 439, i-flex closed up a per cent (Rs 9) at Rs 698. Digital, Hughes and Mastek closed up a tad each at Rs 555, Rs 372 and Rs 245, respectively.

Oil PSUs were largely weak today. IBP slipped from a high of Rs 725, and ended 2% lower (Rs 14) at Rs 694. While IOC closed down a per cent (Rs 5) at Rs 377, BPCL was down a notch at Rs 333. ONGC, which touched a new all-time high of Rs 684, bucked the trend and ended in the gainers list at Rs 676 - up Rs 23 or 3%.