The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> ended up 51.08 points, or 0.50 percent, to 10,337.05. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> rose 3.95 points, or 0.36 percent, to 1,095.89. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> gained 10.74 points, or 0.49 percent, to 2,183.73.
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said the government would extend its $700 billion financial bailout fund to October 2010 for further efforts to fight home foreclosures and to ease credit for small businesses in the hopes of spurring job
growth.
NYMEX-NEW YORK, Dec 9 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil futures ended at their lowest levels in two months on Wednesday, pressured by a sell-off in product futures after government data showed big increases in distillate and gasoline inventories last week.
On the New York Mercantile Exchange, January crude
CBOT-SOYBEANS - January
CBOT-SOYOIL - December
FCPO-JAKARTA, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Malaysian crude palm oil futures tumbled on Wednesday as investors pocketed profits from the recent rally ahead of the release of end-November stocks data, traders said.
Industry regulator Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) is due to release end-November stocks data on Thursday.
The benchmark February contract
REGIONAL EQUITIES-BANGKOK, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Major Southeast Asian stock markets hit their lowest level in a week on Wednesday, with Thailand leading the decline ahead of a holiday as investors unloaded heavyweights such as Siam Commercial Bank and Banpu.
Worries about the strength of the global recovery weighed on market sentiment across Asia, triggering broad selling in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Singapore's index <.FTSTI> eased 0.3 percent, after falling to its lowest since Dec. 2, with bank DBS Group
In Kuala Lumpur, the main index <.KLSE> fell 0.5 percent to its lowest since Nov. 30, with Malayan Banking