THE Singapore market extended its "bullish glow" on Tuesday, hitting a fresh two-and-a-half year high as it rode on the strong upward momentum after a relatively quiet session on Wall Street. Traders also kept watch on the rare talks between North and South Korea amid the day's thin data docket.

The benchmark Straits Times Index (STI) climbed 12.47 points or 0.4 per cent to finish at 3,524.65 and notched gains in five out of six trading sessions so far this year, taking the index's year-to-date gains to an impressive 3.6 per cent.

Some other key Asian markets also had a stellar day with Japan's Nikkei 225 hitting a 26-year high with a 0.6 per cent gain. Hong Kong's Hang Seng advanced 0.4 per cent for its 11th straight gain while China's Shanghai Composite rose 0.1 per cent. It wasn't meant to be for Malaysia's KLCI which dipped 0.3 per cent and South Korea's Kospi that fell 0.1 per cent.