The Sensex and Nifty ended the session marginally in the green due to weak rupee and mixed European cues.
The 30-share BSE index Sensex was up 38.69 points (0.21 per cent) at 18,558.13 and the 50-share NSE index Nifty was up 4.75 points (0.09 per cent) at 5,476.50.
Among BSE sectoral indices, power, capital goods, healthcare and metal indices remained investors' favourite and were up 1.56 per cent, 1.25 per cent, 1.12 per cent and 1.05 per cent, respectively.
On the other hand, banking, oil & gas, PSU and consumer durables indices capped the Sensex gains and were down 1.04 per cent, 0.43 per cent, 0.18 per cent and 0.05 per cent, respectively.
Among 30-share Sensex, BHEL, Sterlite, Wipro, NTPC and Hero MotoCorp were the top five gainers, while the top five losers were ONGC, GAIL, ICICI Bank, Tata Steel and Tata Motors.
European stocks were trading mixed and Asian stocks were up after Chinese brokerages rallied and a decline in US home sales eased speculation that the Federal Reserve will reduce economic stimulus next month.
Stoxx 50 fell 18.56 points or 0.66 per cent to 2,807.49, FTSE 100 rose 45.23 points or 0.7 per cent to 6,492.10 and DAX shed 30.39 points or 0.36 per cent to 8,386.60.
Japan's Nikkei index was down 20.05 points or 0.15 per cent at 13,640.50, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rose 129.85 points or 0.59 per cent to 21,993.40 and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was up 12.04 points or 0.23 per cent at 5,135.40.
US housing data showed new home purchases plunged in July by the most in three years. Investors are now weighing when the Fed will start winding down it $85-billion monthly asset purchases.
The risk that the central bank's trimming of bond buying will hurt economies around the world by sparking an exodus of cash and higher borrowing costs was a main issue discussed at an annual meeting of central bankers and economists in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, that ended on August 24