The Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex rose by over 124 points in early trade on Friday. Sensex was trading at 18174, up by over 61 points when reports last came in. The wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty also rose by 35 points to 5,477. Analysts said the market sentiment remained firm in tandem with a strong trend in the Asian region, following overnight gains inthe US market.