Indian market kicks off 2019 on a high note as Sensex rises 186 points

Capping off 2018 on a high note, both Sensex and Nifty clocked gains for the third straight year in a row amid positive cues from global markets and strengthening rupee

Indian equity market kicked off 2019 on a resounding note, with benchmark Sensex closing with 186 points gain Tuesday led by a rally in banking stocks following the Reserve Bank's comments that the banking sector is on a recovery path amid receding impaired assets load.

The 30-share BSE Sensex closed at 36,254.57, rising 186.24 points or 0.52 per cent. Similarly, the NSE Nifty ended at 10,910.10, gaining 47.55 points or 0.44 per cent.

For better part of the day, both benchmarks Sensex and Nifty carried a negative bias but fag-end buying in financial and IT counters lifted the sentiment.

Besides financials, shares of