Palm | Kelapa Sawit

DJI-NEW YORK, March 23 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks advanced on Wednesday as materials shares rose, but rising commodities prices due to turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa could keep rallies modest.

The market's favored indicator of anxiety, the Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index or VIX <.VIX>, shows investor worry over unsettled world situations has been tempered for the moment. But the lack of volume and moderate gains suggest optimism is limited in scope.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> gained 67.39 points, or 0.56 percent, to 12,086.02. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> rose 3.77 points, or 0.29 percent, to 1,297.54. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> climbed 14.43 points, or 0.54 percent, to 2,698.30.

CBOT-CHICAGO, March 23 (Reuters) - Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures closed lower on Wednesday, pressured by a final run of profit-taking just before the pit close, traders said.

Continued speculation about China's rumored purchase of corn was an ongoing drag on the market, they said. Volume was thin as soybeans logged their smallest trade
since Nov. 26, 2010. Soybean oil volume was the lowest since Oct. 26, 2010 and soymeal the lowest since Dec. 31, 2010.

FCPO-KUALA LUMPUR, March 23 (Reuters) - Malaysian palm oil ended
almost flat on Wednesday with the market split between higher output prospects this month and firmer crude oil markets that rose on concerns over Middle East supply disruptions.

The benchmark June crude palm oil contract on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives shed 2 ringgit to settle at 3,306 ringgit ($1,091) a tonne after a session of choppy trading. Prices ranged between 3,301 and 3,367 ringgit.

Overall traded volume shot up to 26,032 lots of 25 tonnes each from the usual 15,000 lots.

REGIONAL EQUITIES-COLOMBO, March 23 (Reuters) - Southeast Asia's stock markets posted gains on Wednesday led by commodity and energy shares, with Thailand hitting a more than two-month closing high helped by buying in industrial and banking stocks.

But investors were still wary of uncertainty over the human and economic toll inflicted by Japan's earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis and possible oil price rises as a result of ongoing violence in Libya and turmoil in the Middle East.

Indonesia <.JKSE> gained 1.1 percent to a more than one-week high led by mining shares, Thailand <.SETI> rose 0.7 percent to a two month high on energy and banking stocks while Singapore <.FTSTI> was up 0.7 percent, its best since March 14.

Malaysia closed 0.2 percent firmer to its near two-week high and Philippines <.PSI> edged to its highest in a week.

Except in Singapore, traded share volume in all other markets was lower than their respective 30-day averages due to the impact of crises in Japan and the Arab world.

Analysts expect investors to buy back into risky assets when global factors are more favourable, with valuations of the regional markets becoming more attractive after a recent slump.

In Singapore, commodity firm Olam International gained 4.2 percent on positive outlook and attractive valuations following a recent correction in soft commodity prices.

Palm oil firm Golden Agri-Resources rose 3.8 percent on hopes that oil supply constraints due to Middle East tensions would boost demand for biofuels.