Mumbai : The BSE benchmark Sensex gained 80 points in early trade today on continued buying by funds as well as retail investors.

The 30-share index, which had gained 346 points in the previous session, rose further by 80 points to 17,484.

The wide-based National Stock Exchange Nifty index also moved up by 16points to 5,312.

In the Asian region, Japan’s Nikkei gained 0.68 per cent,while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng shed 0.52 per cent in the morning trade today.

The US Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 0.50 per cent higher in the previous session on Friday.