The Sensex at the Bombay Stock Exchange rose 131 points, or 0.8 per cent, to 16,169 in early trade, today, on fresh buying by funds, in line with positive Asian markets. Later, the Sensex stood 156 points, or 1 per cent in the positive zone, at 16,193 in afternoon trade, a short while ago.Other Asian markets in Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia, and South Korea were up by between 0.3 percent and 1.1 percent, today, after a drop in Italian and Spanish borrowing costs, and the European Central Bank's decision to keep interest rates unchanged boosted sentiment. In the US, the Dow Jones Industrial Average had gained 0.2 per cent, overnight.