The Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex gained nearly 54 points inthe opening trade today on more capital inflows by foreign funds, driven by a firming global trend. The Sensex was trading at 17574, up by 26 points. Similarly, National Stock Exchange index Nifty rose by over 12 points to quote at 5244 points.The US Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.45 per cent in the previous session, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index was also marginally up in the opening trade.