Investing.com - Asian shares were mostly higher on Tuesday with Tokyo down slightly as the market took a cue from Wall Street overnight.
Japan's Nikkei 225 dipped 0.03%, while Australia S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.66%.
In Greater China, the Shanghai Composite gained 0.53% and the Hang Seng index rose 0.83%.
Chinese conglomerate HNA Group plans to sell overseas commercial properties worth some $6 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported. HNA, among some of China's most acquisitive companies in recent years, is now attempting to fund raise to pay off debt, the Journal said. Hong Kong-listed HNA Holding was flat in the morning session, as was the company's Shanghai-listed Hainan Airline unit.
Overnight, Wall Street closed at record highs amid sustained optimism about the likelihood of lower corporate tax rates as the Republican tax bill moved closer to passage.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) rose 140.46 points, or 0.57 percent, to 24,792.2, the S&P 500 (SPX) gained 14.35 points, or 0.54 percent, to 2,690.16 and the Nasdaq Composite (IXIC) added 58.18 points, or 0.84 percent, to 6,994.76.
The three indexes set record closing highs, as did the small-cap Russell 2000 index (RUT), up 1.21 percent to end at 1,548.93.