U.S. STOCK MARKETS, BONDS

Investors pushed stocks to a second consecutive day of gains as a rise in oil prices and positive readings on the U.S. housing sector lifted sentiment ahead of a two-day European summit meeting.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average tacked on 92.34 points, or 0.74%, to finish at 12627.01. The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index rose 11.86 points, or 0.90%, to 1331.85 and the Nasdaq Composite added 21.26 points, or 0.74%, to 2875.32.

Energy stocks drove the bulk of the gains, bolstered by a run-up in oil prices. The list of top S&P 500 performers Wednesday was dominated by energy names, with Cabot Oil & Gas, QEP Resources, WPX Energy, NRG Energy and Nabors Industries all surging 5.6% or more.

Among blue-chips, Exxon Mobil gained 1% and Chevron advanced 1.6%. Despite the day's increases, energy is the only one of the 10 S&P 500 sectors that is in negative territory for the year, off 6.8% from where it started 2012.

Financials, industrials and health-care stocks were also firm on a day of broad-based gains. J.P. Morgan Chase rose 3% and Bank of America added 2% to lead the Dow components.

However, Facebook fell 2.6% as many analysts at banks that underwrote its initial public offering last month began coverage of the Menlo Park, Calif., social-networking operator.

The research was largely expected to be bullish, but hold ratings outnumbered the buy ratings. The broad market gains came after a report on pending home sales in May topped expectations to match the highest level of the year, the latest in a string of signs of the housing market's recovery.

Also helping were strong earnings from homebuilder Lennar, which projected a slow and steady recovery in the housing market. Lennar rose 4.8% amid a broad rally in homebuilder stocks that included KB Home, D.R. Horton and Hovnanian Enterprises.

Separately, a report showed U.S. durable goods orders posted their first gain in three months in May, suggesting that the U.S. manufacturing sector stabilized a bit after an early spring slowdown. The positive U.S. economic readings allowed investors to push stocks higher, even as expectations remain relatively modest for a summit of European leaders, scheduled for Thursday and Friday in Brussels.

EUROPEAN STOCK MARKETS, BONDS

European stock markets broke a four-day losing streak Wednesday, as buoyant U.S. housing data cheered investors, although the focus remained on the Thursday start of the European Union summit.

The Stoxx Europe 600 index jumped 1.4% to 245.87. The broader European stock markets got a late session boost from the U.S. where pending home sales climbed to the highest level in two years in May.

The Stoxx 600 banks index finished up 2.5%, helped higher after the eurogroup set out initial aid plans for Spain and Cyprus, the latest casualties from the euro zone.

Euro group finance ministers said in a statement that the Spanish government remains fully liable for the 100 billion euros ($125 billion) it requested to help boost its ailing banking sector and will be expected to honor its reform and deficit targets.

The financial rescue package for Cyprus will involve the European Union, the European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund, and will be tied to strict conditions on fiscal policy, bank deleveraging and structural reforms.

Spain's IBEX-35 index rose 2.1% to 6666.90, while Greece's ASE Composite finished up 0.7% at 579.69. In Italy, the FTSE MIB index rallied 2.6% to 13302.77, shrugging off results from a closely watched government debt auction.

The Treasury sold the planned EUR9 billion of six-month Treasury bills, but at sharply higher yields, suggesting that a longer-term bond sale Thursday could be an expensive affair.

Elsewhere, the U.K.'s FTSE 100 finished up 1.4% at 5523.92, helped by positive retail data. According to the Confederation of British Industry, there was a sharp rise in retail sales in June, largely as a result of celebrations over the Diamond Jubilee weekend. Germany's DAX closed 1.5% higher at 6228.99, while France's CAC-40 increased 1.7% to 3063.12.

Among individual stocks, UniCredit surged 4.7% as concerns about the Italian banking sector eased.

In London, Glencore shares fell 1.5% after sovereign-wealth fund Qatar Holding, which has a substantial stake in Xstrata, called on Glencore to sweeten the terms of its merger proposal for Xstrata.

Barclays shares increased 1.9% despite having to pay 290 million pounds to settle a long-running probe by U.S. and U.K. regulators into allegations that traders at the bank sought to manipulate interbank lending rates.

Also in the banks sector, the European Commission temporarily approved assistance from the Spanish state to BFA group and its subsidiary Bankia. Bankia, which holds almost 11% of Spain's retail deposits, surged 6.9%.

ASIA-PACIFIC STOCK MARKETS

Asian markets were higher Wednesday, with Hong Kong outperforming due to speculation about greater financial ties with China.

The Hang Seng Index extended morning gains to climb 1% to 19176.95, in part pushed up by a report from the state-run Xinhua News Agency saying China will promote the use of yuan in the city and launch Hong Kong-linked exchange-traded funds.

Analysts say blue-chip companies that are listed in Hong Kong but not mainland China such as China Mobile and Cnooc, which gained 1.1% and 1.8%, respectively could benefit from the potential launch of ETFs.

Companies whose Hong Kong-listed shares trade at a deep discount to their mainland-listed stock could also benefit. Other markets turned positive after a morning of choppy trading.

Japan's Nikkei Average was up 0.8% at 8730.49, as a strong performance for engineering and construction companies offset weakness in the energy sector.

China's Shanghai Composite was down 0.2% at 2216.93, Korea's Kospi ended flat after trading in negative territory for much of the session, in part pulled up by heavy-weight constituent Samsung Electronics, which gained 2.5%.

In Hong Kong, Chow Tai Fook Jewellery gained 6.4% after reporting a 79% leap in its 2012 financial year net profit. Luk Fook, another local jewelry company, also gained 6.4% ahead of its own results.

Hong Kong-listed casino operators in Macau bounced back from a day of heavy selling Tuesday after a report in the Macao Daily News saying that local officials weren't aware of any plans by China to tighten visa restrictions for Chinese visitors to the gambling hub.

Galaxy Entertainment gained 3.5% and Sands China climbed 1.8%. Also in Hong Kong, Hopewell Holdings leapt 9.5% after it agreed to pay a land premium of HK$3.73 billion to the Hong Kong government to develop Hopewell Centre II.

COMMODITIES

Base metals closed mixed on the London Metal Exchange Wednesday, treading water ahead of the start of a two-day European Union summit the following session.

At the close, LME three-month copper was 0.6% higher at $7,405 a metric ton. Aluminum outpaced the complex, closing 1.4% higher at $1,871/ton.

Oil futures climbed back above $80 a barrel to their highest level in a week after a government report showed U.S. oil inventories fell last week as demand rose.

Light, sweet crude for August delivery settled 85 cents, or 1.1%, higher at $80.21 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, its highest level since June 20. Brent crude on the ICE futures exchange settled 48 cents, or 0.5%, to $93.50 a barrel.

The Energy Information Administration said oil inventories last week fell 100,000 barrels from what had been their highest level since 1990 the previous week.

The decline, though less than expected, came as demand rose and refiners boosted operations. Gold futures ended higher but off the intraday highs hit on comments from a European Central Bank executive that hinted at possible cuts to interest rates. The most actively traded contract, for August delivery, settled $3.50, or 0.2%, higher at $1,578.40 a troy ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. Compiled from MORRISON SECURITIES PTY. LTD.