DOW JONES-NEW YORK, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Wall Street closed mostly higher on Tuesday, while the euro traded flat on hopes European leaders were working on a plan to contain the sovereign debt crisis a day after Standard & Poor's warned 15 euro zone countries of a possible downgrade.
Investors have pinned their hopes on a summit at the end of the week and U.S. stocks briefly picked up steam late in the day after the Financial Times reported that European leaders will discuss boosting the firepower of the euro zone rescue fund.
The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> added 52.30 points, or 0.43 percent, to close at 12,150.13. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> rose 1.39 points, or 0.11 percent, to 1,258.47. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was off 6.20 points, or 0.23 percent, to 2,649.56.
NYMEX-NEW YORK, Dec 6 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil futures added to gains slightly in post-settlement trading on Tuesday after data from the American Petroleum Institute showed that domestic crude stocks fell much more than expected last week.
Earlier, crude futures recovered from early losses to end slightly up as investors weighed prospects that EU leaders would come up with a convincing agreement to contain the euro debt crisis.
On the New York Mercantile Exchange, crude for January delivery
CBOT-SOYBEANS, Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures closed higher on short-covering and bargain buying.
Gains were limited and trading was slowed by worries about the European debt crisis. Rating agency Standard & Poor's said on Monday afternoon it may cut the sovereign credit rating of 15 euro zone countries.
FCPO-KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Malaysian palm oil futures dropped on Tuesday as the euro zone debt crisis deepened with rating agency Standard & Poor's warning it may cut the credit ratings of the region that is threatening to slow the world's economic growth.
Prices of the edible oil have fallen 18.6 percent so far this year, thanks to the brewing debt crises in the U.S. and Europe, although concerns over heavier than usual rains curbing output could limit losses.
The benchmark February palm oil futures
REGIONAL EQUITIES-KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Most Southeast Asian stock markets pulled lower on Tuesday as a warning by ratings agency Standard & Poor's of a possible mass downgrade of the euro zone kept market investors wary ahead of the EU summit late this week.
Stocks in Singapore, Indonesia and other major sharemarkets fell to around one-week lows in choppy trading sessions that involved thin volume.
Mild selling pressure hit many recent gainers, including banking stocks, as investors grew jittery over the impact of a potential rating downgrade on the global financial system.
In Singapore, market turnover fell to 0.7 times a 30-day average, with selling interest seen in banks. DBS Group Holdings Ltd
