The BSE benchmark Sensex rose over 52 points in early trade today largely on expectation of a rate cut next week amid a firming trend in global markets.The 30-share barometer, which gained 133.22 points in the previous session, rose further by 52.45 points to trade at 17,385.07 after dipping to 17,192.55.The wide-based NSE index Nifty also moved up by 21.10 points to 5,297.95.In Asian, the Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose by 1.53 per cent, while the Japan's Nikkei index was up by 1.40 per cent.