The BSE benchmark Sensex recovered 44 points in early trade today on buying by funds and retailers amid a mixed trend in Asian region. The 30-share barometer, which had lost 219 points in the previous two trading days, recovered by 44 points to 18,727.Similarly, the wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty, moved up by 16 points to 5,701.In Asian region, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index was up by 0.03 per cent, while Japan's Nikkei shed 0.73 per cent.The US Dow Jones Industrial Average had ended marginally higher by 0.03 per cent in the previous session.