Extending its gaining streak, the BSE benchmark Sensex rose by 77 points in opening trade on Wednesday on sustained buying by funds, taking cues from other Asian markets.

The 30-share index of the B S E rose by 77.07 points, or 0.38 per cent, to 20.137.39 points in opening trade.

The Sensex has gained over 410 points in the previous three sessions.

Similarly, the wide-based N S E Nifty index moved up by 18.40 points or 0.31 per cent to 6,019.05.

Buying activity was more pronounced in banking, metal and realty sector stocks, market analysts said.

Continued buying by funds emboldened by driven by overnight gains in the US and a mixed trend in other Asian markets influenced the trading sentiment as well, they said.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index was up by 0.17 per cent in early trade on Wednesday, but Japan’s Nikkei Index was down by 0.21 per cent.

In the US, the Dow Jones Industrial Index ended 0.48 per cent higher on Tuesday.