Mumbai, Apr 16 (IANS): The key Indian equity indices opened on a positive note on Tuesday, with the BSE Sensex gaining over 200 points, on the back of a "near normal" monsoon forecast and a positive trade data.

The Indian Metereological Department on Monday said that the south-west monsoon rains in 2019 will be near-normal with an expected rainfall of 96 per cent.

The Nifty50 on the National Stock Exchange traded near its all-time high level and at 9.35 a.m., it was at 11,757.70, higher by 67.35 points or 0.58 per cent from its previous close of 11,690.35 points.

The Sensex traded at 39,137.52, higher by 231.68 points or 0.60 per cent from the previous close of 38,905.84 points.

It had opened at 39,040.30, and so far touched an intra-day high of 39,154.54 and a low of 39,038.81 points.

Rise in exports from the country, also boosted the investor sentiment. India's merchandise exports grew 11.02 per cent, on a year-on-year (YoY) basis in March, to $32.55 billion from $29.32 billion reported for the corresponding month of last year, official data showed on Monday.