The Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex fell by over 48 points in early trade today as funds and retail investors sold stocks amid mixed Asian trend. The 30-share index, which rallied by nearly 450 points in the past two sessions, lost 49 points, or 0.25 per cent, to trade at 16,974 points after rising to 17,051 points at the outset.The National Stock Exchange's Nifty fell 16 points, or 0.31 per cent, to 5,095 points. Brokers said emergence of profit-booking by foreign funds and retail investors and weak cues from Asian markets dampened trading sentiment. Meanwhile, Hong Kong's Hang Seng was down 0.20 per cent and Japan's Nikkei shed 0.03 per cent in morning trade today. The US Dow Jones Industrial Average ended flat in yesterday's volatile session.