The BSE benchmark Sensex rose by nearly 85 points in early trade today after Wednesday's losses on fresh buying by funds and retailers, tracking a better trend in Asian markets.The 30-share barometer, which had lost 38.40 points in the previous session, recovered by 0.47 per cent, to 17,932. All sectoral indices were trading in the positive zone with gains of up to one per cent. Similarly, the wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty was up 24 points at 5,437.In Asian region, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rose by 0.87 per cent, while Japan's Nikkei index shed 0.08 per cent in opening trade.The US Dow Jones industrial average index ended 0.23 per cent lower in Wednesday's trade.