Palm | Kelapa Sawit

DJI - NEW YORK, Dec 16 - U.S stocks finished flat to slightly higher on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve reiterated its intention to keep interest rates low for the foreseeable future to ensure a sustainable economic recovery.

Wall Street trimmed gains after the Fed voted unanimously to keep benchmark borrowing costs in a range of zero to 0.25 percent, which represents historic lows.

The Dow Jones industrial average slipped 10.88 points, or 0.10 percent, to end at 10,441.12. But the Standard & Poor's 500 Index gained 1.25 points, or 0.11 percent,
to 1,109.18. The Nasdaq Composite Index added 5.86 points, or 0.27 percent, to 2,206.91.

NYMEX - NEW YORK, Dec 16 - U.S. crude futures rose sharply on Wednesday after the government's oil inventory report showed crude oil and distillate supplies fell much more than expected last week.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, January crude rose $1.97, or 2.79 percent, to settle at $72.66 a barrel, trading from $70.59 to $73.55.

CBOT - SOYBEANS - January up 4-1/2 cents at $10.59-1/2 a bushel.
Support from news China bought more U.S. soy, gains in crude oil and reluctance to be short soy ahead of expected fund buying early in 2010. But ended below day's high as market gave up most of its early gains amid technical selling after prices failed to top Tuesday's high.

CBOT - SOYOIL - January up 0.69 cent at 40.33 cents per lb.
Rally in crude oil futures lends support.

FCPO - JAKARTA, Dec 16 - Malaysian crude palm oil futures surged 2.3 percent to their highest closing level in six and a half months on Wednesday supported by a crude oil price rebound and fresh buying in the physical market, traders said.

"After crude oil moved above $71, people get excited again. We also heard that a big buyer has been chasing olein again since the morning," said a trader at a Kuala Lumpur-based brokerage firm.

The benchmark March contract on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange settled up 57 ringgit to 2,587 ringgit ($755.77) per tonne, the highest finishing since June 2.

REGIONAL EQUITIES - BANGKOK, Dec 16 - Stock markets in Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand gained on Wednesday as investors piled into big caps late in the session, with Singapore's Genting, Thailand's CP Foods and Indonesia's Telekomunikasi among risers.

Most Southeast Asian stock markets were range-bound earlier as markets elsewhere in Asia slid on profit-taking in thin trading volume.

Singapore's index rose 0.5 percent to 2,813.93, with gaming group Genting Singapore climbing 5.5 percent, DBS Group Holdings adding 1 percent and Singapore Airlines jumping 3.5 percent.

Thailand's key stock index was up 0.9 percent, earlier climbing to its highest since Nov. 12, led by a 2.6 percent gain in energy firm PTT Exploration and Production and a 5.6 percent rise in chicken firm CP Foods.

Malaysia's index dipped 0.14 percent after a combined gain of over 1 percent in the previous four sessions. Trade in Kuala Lumpur was thin ahead of a holiday on Friday, dealers said.