The BSE benchmark Sensex rose by 88 points to trade at 19,982 in early trade today on the back of increased buying by participants amid a mixed trend on other Asian bourses. The wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty rose 23 points to trade higher at 5,906. In Asia, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index was up 0.08 percent, while Japan's Nikkei lost 0.16 per cent in early trade. The US Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 0.36 per centhigher yesterday.