Sensex today surged by over 247 points in opening trade tracking firm global cues. The Sensex was trading at 16,957, up by over 215 points when reports last came in. Meanwhile, the US Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 2.25 per cent higher. In Asian Markets, Japan's Nikkei gained 2.63 per cent while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index was up 1.65 per cent in the morning trade today.