Rising for the second straight session, the Sensex at the Bombay Stock Exchange gained 57 points, or 0.3 percent, to close at 18,517, today, after signs that the government might push through economic reforms to boost economic growth. Firm Asian and European markets also lifted market sentiment. The Nifty at the National Stock Exchange rose 13 points, or 0.2 percent, to 5,628. Stock markets in Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea and Singapore climbed between 0.8 percent and 1.6 percent, on indications of a pick up in China's manufacturing activity.