The Sensex gained over 247 points in opening trade on the Bombay Stock Exchange today. The Sensex was trading at 18,638, up by 148 points a short while ago. Analysts said the rise in sensex is due to continued buying by funds, driven by a firming global market trend and easing food inflation. In the Asian region, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index was up by 1.41 per cent, while Japan's Nikkei index rose 1.56 per cent in early trade today. The US Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 1.59 per cent higher in yesterday's trade.