Rebounding from early lows, the Sensex at the Bombay Stock Exchange closed with a solid gain of 167 points, or 1 percent, at 17,701, today, on short-covering, and amid firm European markets. The Nifty at the National Stock Exchange rose 56 points, or 1.1 percent, to 5,313.But stock markets in Japan, China, South Korea and Hong Kong lost between 0.5 percent and 2 percent.