Continuing its rising streak for the third straight session, the BSE benchmark Sensex rose 61 points to trade at 19,963 in early trade today on sustained buying by funds as well as retail investors. The wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty moved up 12 points to 5,922. In the Asian region, the Japan's Nikkei fell 0.90 per cent, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng shed 0.72 per cent in early trade. The US Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 0.90 per cent lower in yesterday's trade.