Mumbai, Sept. 21 -- The key equity benchmarks ended higher on Monday, supported by easing crude oil prices and renewed buying in heavyweight stocks. The Nifty closed above the 23,400 level. Sectorally, pharma, FMCG and realty shares were in demand, while metal, PSU bank and IT stocks declined.

The Nifty opened at 23,330.20 and slipped to an intraday low of 23,314.80 in early trade. The index recovered steadily through the morning session, crossed 23,400 and touched an intraday high of 23,466.80 in mid-afternoon trade. It pared some gains thereafter but remained above the 23,400 mark at the close.

Brent crude fell to around $101 a barrel as concerns over supply disruptions eased and investors assessed the recovery in Saudi oil shipments....