India's benchmark Sensex index hit a fresh record high of 34,000 on Tuesday on the back of sustained buying by the overseas investors amidst expectations of growth and further reforms from the government.
Most other Southeast Asian markets were subdued in trading thinned by year-end holidays. Stock markets in Australia and Hong Kong remained closed after Monday's Christmas holiday, and many financial centers in Europe will also be shut on Tuesday.
Mirroring the muted sentiment, U.S. equity-index futures opened little changed in their first trading this week.
The S&P BSE Sensex added 0.21 percent at 34,010 after hitting a high of 34,061 earlier in the session while the broader NSE Nifty gained 0.37 percent to 10,531.
Overseas investors have invested Rs 498.4 billion in equities so far in 2017 and another Rs 1.5 trillion in debt markets.
Among the top Sensex gainers, Sun Pharma rose 1.4 percent, Tata Steel gained 1.5 percent, Yes Bank advanced 1.8 percent while Bharti Airtel was up 3 percent.
Reliance Communications jumped 41 percent after the indebted firm announced the strategic debt restructuring to address liquidity woes.
Prakash Industries climbed 5 percent after markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India removed the steelmaker from its list of dubious companies.
But AIA Engineering lost 2.5 percent after the company said Brazil initiated an anti-dumping investigation on exports from India into Brazil.
Market breadth was in the favour of gainers, with about 2 stocks advancing to every 1 stock that declined.
