The BSE Sensex today rose by 176 points in early trade, mainly on the back of a rally in IT-sector stocks after Infosys posted better-than-expected third quarter earnings. Besides, a firming trend in the global markets also buoyed the trading sentiment here. The 30-share index, which had lost nearly 80 points in the previous two sessions, rose by over 176 points, to nearly 19,840.Similarly, the wide-based National Stock Exchange Nifty rose by over 50 points, to nearly 6,019.