Mumbai : The BSE benchmark index Sensex on Wednesday declined by over 32 points in early trade, as funds and retail investors booked profits after yesterday’s gains.

The 30-share index, which had gained 110.61 points on Tuesday, fell by 32.56 points, or 0.18 percent, to 17,174.73, with stocks of IT, capital goods, auto and realty sectors succumbing to profit-booking.

Similarly, the wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty shed 11.20 points, or 0.21 percent, to 5,211.45.

Brokers said profit-booking by speculators after yesterday’s gains led to the fall in select stock prices here.

In addition, a cautious approach adopted by participants ahead of Thursday’s monthly expiry in the derivatives segments also influenced the trading sentiment, they added.

In the Asian region, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index rose by 0.08 percent, while Japan’s Nikkei Index gained 0.94 percent in morning trade.

The US Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 0.58 percent higher on Tuesday.