Palm | Kelapa Sawit

DOW JONES-NEW YORK, Jan 10 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks climbed to a five-month high on Tuesday, led by materials stocks after an upbeat forecast by aluminum company Alcoa and strong gains in bank shares.

The U.S. equity market continued its recent divergence from the woes of the euro zone. Recent economic reports and optimism about the U.S. earnings season have pushed stocks higher in the start of the new year, with the benchmark S&P 500 rising in five of six sessions.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> gained 69.78 points, or 0.56 percent, to 12,462.47. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> rose 11.38 points, or 0.89 percent, to 1,292.08. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> climbed 25.94 points, or 0.97 percent, to 2,702.50.

NYMEX-NEW YORK, Jan 10 (Reuters) - U.S. crude futures rose on Tuesday, ending three straight days of losses as investors grew optimistic about the economy and worried about possible supply disruptions in OPEC members Iran and Nigeria.

Oil markets also took a cue from Wall Street, which hit a five-month high on strong import data from China and a bullish forecast from Alcoa, the largest U.S. aluminum producer, which brightened the outlook for commodities and the global economy.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, crude for February delivery settled up 93 cents or 0.92 percent at $102.24 a barrel after trading between $101.30 and $103.41.

CBOT-SOYBEANS, Soybean futures on the Chicago Board of Trade fell in a light profit-taking setback after Monday's 3 percent climb, with forecasts for rain in drought-hit Argentina adding pressure, traders said.

Losses were limited by a softer U.S. dollar, which tends to support dollar-denominated grains and oilseeds.

China imported fewer soybeans in 2011 than the previous year, the first fall in seven years, as government measures to cool inflation capped purchases.

FCPO-SINGAPORE, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Malaysian crude palm oil futures were unchanged on Tuesday as concerns that erratic weather in South America and Southeast Asia could hurt oilseed production offset uncertainty over the euro zone debt crisis.

Prospects of hot and dry weather in Argentina lowering soy yields and wet weather in Malaysia disrupting palm oil production helped lift palm oil futures.

Benchmark March palm oil futures on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange closed unchanged at 3,215 ringgit ($1,000) per tonne. Traded volumes stood at 18,847 lots of 25 tonnes each, compared to the usual 25,000 lots.

Industry regulator Malaysian Palm Oil Board said Malaysia's December palm oil stocks fell 1.5 percent from a month ago, better than expectations of a 5.7 percent decline in a Reuters survey. Stock levels stayed above 2 million tonnes.

REGIONAL EQUITIES-BANGKOK, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Southeast Asian stock markets pushed higher on Tuesday as a strong oil market attracted broad-based buying in commodities-related stocks and volume picked up, although continuing concern over euro zone sovereign debt kept foreign inflows in check.

Philippine shares <.PSI> ended up 0.4 percent, hitting an all-time high at one point, while Indonesia <.JKSE> gained 1.3 percent and Thailand <.SETI> rose 0.8 percent, both around four-month highs.

Vietnam <.VNI> climbed 1.6 percent and Singapore <.FTSTI> rose 1.1 percent after Monday's 0.9 percent fall but Malaysia <.KLSE> was flat.

Indonesian coal firm PT Adaro Energy Tbk rose 2.2 percent and Malaysia's Petronas Chemicals Group Bhd was up 0.5 percent.