The BSE benchmark Sensex rose by nearly 44 points in early trade today on sustained buying by funds and retail investors. The 30-share index, which has gained over 428 points in the past three sessions, rose further by 43 points, or 0.26 per cent, to 16,509 points.The wide-based National Stock Exchange Nifty index moved up by 13 points, or 0.26 per cent, to 4,980.In Asia, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose by 0.12 per cent, while Japan's Nikkei gained 1.10 per cent in morning trade today.The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 0.48 per cent higher in yesterday's trade.