The Sensex at the Bombay Stock Exchange rose 156 points, to 17.807, in early trade this morning on a firm trend in the Asian bourses following overnight gains in the US market. Remaining firm, the Sensex stood 151 points, or 0.9 per cent in the green, at 17.803, a short while ago.Asian markets in Japan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, China, Taiwan, Singapore and South Korea rose between 0.5 per cent and 2.5 pent today after an encouraging US jobs report. The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index had gained 1.2 per cent overnight.