DOW JONES-NEW YORK, Dec 21 (Reuters) - The euro fell on Wednesday as doubts set in over whether fresh lending by the European Central Bank would be used to buy struggling euro-zone debt, while Oracle's weak earnings weighed on technology stocks and kept Wall Street mostly flat.
Global shares edged higher, adding to the previous day's strong gains, though volumes were thin as the year-end holidays approach.
The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> edged up 4.16 points, or 0.03 percent, to 12,107.74 and the S&P 500 Index <.INX> gained 2.42 points, or 0.19 percent, to 1,243.72.
NYMEX-NEW YORK, Dec 21 (Reuters) - U.S. crude futures rose a third straight session on Wednesday as a steep drop in crude oil inventories in the United States last week and potential threats to global supply helped offset concerns about the euro zone.
U.S. crude stocks fell 10.57 million barrels last week, to their lowest level in nearly three years, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said, much more than the draw down expected.
On the New York Mercantile Exchange, February crude
CBOT-SOYBEAN, U.S. soybean futures on the Chicago Board of Trade closed higher for a fifth day, touching a one-month top as traders covered short positions and fretted over dry weather in South American crop regions.
China, the world's top soy buyer, imported 34.8 percent less of the oilseed from the United States in November than a year ago, Chinese customs data showed.
FCPO-JAKARTA, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Malaysian crude palm oil futures rose to its highest in nearly two weeks on Wednesday on expectations of rising demand, firmer comparative oils and an improving euro zone debt outlook.
European stocks rallied and the euro was well bid as investors priced in an improvement in the economic outlook and looked forward to a big take up by banks of the European Central Bank's first-ever offer of three-year loans.
Benchmark March palm oil futures <0#FCPO:> on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange touched a high at 3,072 Malaysian ringgit per tonne, a level last seen on Dec. 9.
REGIONAL EQUITIES-KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Southeast Asian stock markets climbed higher on Wednesday, cheered by better economic news from the United States, with a rally in global oil prices boosting commodities-related shares across the board.
Some traders said regional markets were also supported by news the authorities in Taiwan would step in to support the Taipei bourse after recent volatility.
Singapore's Straits Times Index <.FTSTI> snapped two days of losses to finish 2.25 percent higher at a one-week high. It has slumped 16.2 percent this year due to its relatively large exposure to the global economy.
Stocks in Malaysia <.KLSE> rose 1.4 percent and Thailand <.SETI> gained 1 percent, both hovering around two-week highs.
