The BSE Sensex surged 167 points to 31,938 in early trade today on widespread gains following sustained buying by domestic institutional investors.The NSE Nifty rose 51 points to reclaim the 9,900-level.Hong Kong's Hang Seng moved up by 0.14 per cent, while Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.32 per cent in early trade today. Japan's Nikkei was, however, slightly down.The US Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 0.12 per cent higher in yesterday's trade.