BENGALURU: Indian shares were higher in early trade on Tuesday, lifted by oil and gas stocks after the federal government cut a windfall tax on crude oil, though gains were capped by an ongoing selling streak by foreign investors.

The Nifty 50 index was up 0.32% at 17,952.85 as of 9:28 a.m. IST, while the S&P BSE Sensex rose 0.38% to 60,319.31.

Oil and gas stocks were up as much as 0.53% after the country, a major consumer and importer of oil, cut its windfall tax on crude oil and exports of aviation turbine fuel and diesel.

Shares of Reliance Industries, Oil India Ltd Chennai Petroleum Corp and Mangalore Refinery And Petrochemicals climbed between 0.5% and 4.4%.

However, those gains were capped on relentless outflows of funds from foreign investors.

Indian shares fall as foreign outflows persist, oil weighs

Data showed foreign institutional investors extended their selling streak for the seventeenth day in a row - the longest such streak in six months - offloading 7.51 billion rupees ($92.00 million) worth of equities on a net basis on Monday.

In broader markets, the MSCI’s gauge of Asia Pacific stocks outside Japan was down 0.51%.

China’s economy, the world’s second-largest, slowed in the fourth quarter due to stringent COVID curbs, dragging down 2022 growth to one of its worst in nearly half a century and heightening concerns about global growth.