Re-writing history appears to be the order of the day at the markets as the Sensex pulled yet another feat of crossing the 12,000-mark on Thursday.

Buying in index heavyweights powered the Sensex even as sentiments in Asian markets remained mixed. Auto, engineering, metal and telecom sectors saw heightened activity while cement and pharma stocks remained subdued for the day.

Sound quarterly results announced by a number of companies may also have contributed to the positive sentiment witnessed in the market.

FIIs, however, appeared to showcase less enthusiasm as they ended as net-sellers on April 18. Overseas investors sold Rs 274 crore more shares than they bought on Tuesday.

Buzzing stocks

Among the portfolio of BSE-30, Reliance Industries emerged as the stock with top turnover for the day. The share gained 8 per cent to Rs 994.9. The gain on Thursday is the stock's biggest one-day increase since October 2002. The gain came on the back of reports that the company plans to announce an oil discovery in the Krishna Godavari area.

In the small-cap space, PSI Data Systems was in the limelight after it jumped 5 per cent to hit the upper circuit filter at Rs 180.6. The IT company owned by Aditya Birla Nuvo recorded increased profits backed by higher sales and increased customers.

Praj Industries, Madras Aluminium, BF Utilities and Unitech were other stocks that hit the upper limit.

Sector focus

Sugar stocks appeared to be the flavour of the day as they witnessed renewed buying. Balrampur Chini Mills, Bajaj Hindusthan and KCP Sugar saw gains in the range of 2-3 per cent. Oudh Sugar and Mawana Sugar were other stocks in the sector that surged .

Tech stocks cooled a bit after being in the limelight during the week. While Infosys remained flat, TCS and Wipro declined by 1 per cent. Satyam Computer Services, however, reversed the trend and closed in the green.

Firm metal prices on LME aided the northbound journey of metal stocks. Hindustan Zinc rose Rs 15.6 to Rs 805.5. The company raised prices of zinc as increased demand from China pushed the metal prices. Tata Steel, Hindalco, Jindal Saw, JSW Steel and SAIL also surged.

Stock-specific action

The stocks of PTC India and Jagran Prakashan rose after the Reserve Bank of India allowed overseas investors to acquire more shares in the companies. This came as a result of FII holdings in these companies falling below the permissible limit. While Jagran Prakashan rose 7.7 per cent to Rs 308.5, PTC India gained 5.5 per cent to Rs 61.

National Thermal Power Corporation fell 2.5 per cent to s.139.2 after its fourth-quarter fell 36 per cent.

After close of market, Maharashtra Seamless announced 60 per cent increase in its quarterly profits. The stock has been on an uptrend over the past quarter.

Tata Metaliks, KCP, Sakuma Exports, Kirloskar Bothers and KEC International were prominent gainers among the Nifty constituents. Adhunik Metaliks, Emco, California Software and ITD Cementation were conspicuous losers.