Mumbai: Overcoming overnight profit selling, the Sensex opened firm on the last day of the year 2003 and moved erratically in line with alternate bouts of buying and selling, but the mood looked positive as select share prices attracted renewed buying.

The BSE-30 share sensitive resumed higher at 5,812.38 as against yesterday's close of 5,791.85 and moved irregularly in a range between 5,855.37 and 5,801.52 before being quoted at 5,841.40 at 10.30 hrs (IST).

Refinery shares like GAIL, ONGC, IBP, Bongaigaon Ref, HPCL, BPCL, IOC and TN Petro remained in limelight following sustained buying by foreign funds.

Index-based shares such as ACC, BHEL, GACL, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Infosys Tech, ITC, L&T. Ranbaxy, RIL, Satyam Computer, SBI, Tata Motors, Tata Power, Tisco and Wipro showed marked to moderate gains, weighing the Sensex positively.

Among top gainers, TN Petro was quoted higher by 8.80 per cent, IBP by 7.43 per cent, Bongaigaon Ref by 5.59 per cent, Cummins Ind by 5.33 per cent, Crompton Gr by 4.90 per cent, GTL by 3.39 per cent, Cipla by 3.36 per cent, Tata Motors by 3.13 per cent, GAIL by 3.13 per cent and Trent by 2.96 per cent.

However, Godrej Consumer, Mphasis BFL, Silverline, ThomasCook, Century Textile and HDFC showed moderate falls.