Sensex continued to rise for the eighth day by adding over 57 points in early trade on sustained buying by funds, influenced by a firming global trend. The 30-share index, which had gained 153.82 points in the previous session, gathered another 57.49 points to 17,674.18 points. Similarly, wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty also rose by 15.25 points to 5,290.10 points. Marketmen said that the continued rise on foreign funds buying reflected a positive trend in global equity markets. Japanese stocks Nikkei index was up by 0.29 per cent to 10,027.98, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index gained 0.34 per cent in early trade.