Palm | Kelapa Sawit

DJI-NEW YORK, April 27 (Reuters) - The Nasdaq jumped to a 10-year high as U.S. stocks rallied on Wednesday after Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke's first-ever press conference did nothing to short-circuit investors' optimistic outlook on the economy.

All three major U.S. stock indexes extended gains after comments from Bernanke at his press conference, where he reiterated the Fed's stance that inflation was a transitory problem related largely to commodity price pressures.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> gained 95.59 points, or 0.76 percent, to 12,690.96. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> rose 8.42 points, or 0.62 percent, to 1,355.66. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> climbed 22.34 points, or 0.78 percent, to 2,869.88.

NYMEX-NEW YORK, April 27 (Reuters) - U.S. crude futures rose on Wednesday as oil's attraction as a hedge against inflation remained intact after the Federal Reserve gave no indication the central bank was close to tightening its currently loose monetary policy.

The Federal Reserve's statement after its two-day policy meeting, and Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke in his press conference later, signaled the central bank is in no rush to scale back its support for the U.S. economy while slightly downgrading its view of the economy's recent performance.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, June crude rose 55 cents, or 0.49 percent, to settle at $112.76 a barrel, having traded from $110.71 to $113.40, just under the $113.48 peak front-month crude intraday price for 2011.

CBOT-U.S. soybean futures fell, dipping in the final minutes on liquidation as Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke began his first-ever press conference, traders said.

Soy prices had firmed late in the day along with crude oil futures and a slightly weaker U.S. dollar, but gave up those gains in the final minutes of trading.

Trade had been quiet ahead of the Fed chairman's comments. The Federal Open Market Committee, the policy-making arm of the Fed, earlier announced it would leave U.S. rates unchanged.

FCPO-JAKARTA, April 27 (Reuters) - Malaysian palm oil futures touched a one-week low on Wednesday, tracking comparative oils and crude prices lower, with technical selling also weighing on prices.

Benchmark July crude palm oil on Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange closed at 3,277 Malaysian ringgit ($1,096) a tonne, its low for the day and the weakest since April 20.

Trading volumes reached 10,969 lots of 25 tonnes each, compared to 10,224 lots on Tuesday.

Palm oil -- used in products such as food, cosmetics, tyres and biofuels -- has fallen every session and is down 2 percent this week.

REGIONAL EQUITIES-BANGKOK, April 27 (Reuters) - Most Southeast Asian stock markets tilted higher in moderate volume on Wednesday, with buying in large capitalised stocks and banks lifting activity in Thailand and Indonesia, and as investors awaited a U.S. Federal Reserve policmaking decision.

The region remained mildly cautious, albeit with more fund inflows on expectations the Federal Reserve is unlikely surprise with a hawkish stance.

Malaysia's main index <.KLSE> edged up 0.17 percent, climbing at one point to its highest in almost one week.

Singapore's Straits Times Index <.FTSTI> was up 0.34 percent, bouncing off a one-week low in a choppy session.

Singapore's long-ruling People's Action Party (PAP) faces an unprecedented challenge at the May 7 general election. While there is no suggestion the PAP could lose power, several analysts say its margin of victory will most likely fall from the 82 of 84 seats it won at the last election.

Turnover in Singapore was around its 30-day average, similar to trading volumes for Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. Indonesia was the most active in the region, with turnover of 1.7 times the average.