The benchmark indices were trading lower early on Tuesday. At 9.30 am the Sensex was trading at 31,612.90 points, down 13 points or 0.04 per cent lower. It had closed Monday's session at 31,626.63, down nearly 300 points.

The Nifty was also trading little changed at 9,869.35 points, down 3.25 points or 0.03 per cent lower on its previous close at 9,872.60 points.

The top gainers on the Sensex were ONGC (up 3.16 per cent), Sun Pharma (1.46 per cent), Adani Ports (1.38 per cent), Lupin (1.02 per cent) and Tata Steel (0.93 per cent).

The laggards were HUL (down 2.47 per cent), Asian Paints (2.03 per cent), Dr Reddy's (1.07 per cent), HDFC (1 per cent) and CIL (down 0.99 per cent).

Japan's Nikkei average slipped slightly on Tuesday morning, as technology shares and Apple suppliers edged lower, while concerns over North Korea limited risk appetite.