The BSE benchmark Sensex kept its upward trend and was up by 112 points during noon. The 30-share barometer which opened with over 73 points in the green in early trade today, kept on rising and was trding at 18,550 with 112 points up. Similarly, the wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty moved up by 56 points, or 0.99 per cent, to 5,598.Meanwhile in Asia, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rose by 0.64 per cent, while Japan's Nikkei up by 0.88 per cent in the early trade. The US Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 0.33 percent higher in yesterday's trade.