The Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex gained 87 points in opening trade on Thursday. It was trading at 16,293, up by over 8 points a short while ago. Analysts said the rise in sensex is driven by a firming trend on other Asian bourses. Meanwhile, in the Asian region, Japan's Nikkei Index rose by 1.43 per cent and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index by 1.42 per cent in early trade on Thursday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 1.29 per cent higher in the previous session.