Australia's sharemarket handed back most of its early gains to close slightly higher, with investors holding back ahead of a key inflation data release.
The S&P/ASX200 rose 11.9 points on Tuesday, up 0.14 per cent, to 8,537, as the broader All Ordinaries gained 23.8 points, or 0.27 per cent, to 8,824.2.
A sell-off in the banking sector took the shine off a solid day for raw materials and IT stocks, as traders mulled an expected uptick in October inflation figures due on Wednesday.
The Australian dollar has been steady against the greenback, buying 64.54 US cents, down slightly from 64.63 US cents on Monday at 5pm.
