The Sensex at the Bombay Stock Exchange gained 88 points, or 0.4 per cent, to 20,291 in opening trade, today. Later, the Sensex shot up even more sharply, and stood a solid 319 points, or 1.6 per cent in the green, at 20,522, a short while ago, amid expectations of strong second quarter corporate earnings. Stock markets in Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan and Singapore were up by between 0.2 per cent and 1.2 per cent, after the minutes from the US central bank's latest meeting indicated that the bank will act soon to boost growth.