The BSE benchmark Sensex rose by 209 points in early trade today. The 30-share index, which had gained nearly 101 points in the previous session, rose by 209 points to 19,597.Similarly, the wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty rose by 48 points to 5,953.In Asia, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rose by 0.80 per cent, while Japan's Nikkei shed 0.2 per cent.The US Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 0.72 per cent higher in yesterday's trade.The rupee rose by 13 paise to 54.12 against the dollar in early trade today on fresh selling of the US currency by exporters.