The BSE benchmark Sensex shot up by over 227 points in early trade today on a sustained buying by funds and retail investors amid positive cues from global markets.The wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty moved up by 69.90 points to 5,499.40.Meanwhile, in Asia, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose by 1.21 per cent, while Japan's Nikkei index was up by 2.03 per cent.