U.S. STOCK MARKETS

U.S. stocks rose in a shortened pre-holiday session as surging oil prices bolstered energy shares and factory orders rebounded more than expected. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 72.43 points, or 0.6%, to 12943.82.

The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index added 8.51 points, or 0.6%, to 1374.02. The Nasdaq Composite rose 24.85 points, or 0.8%, to 2976.08.

Energy shares led advances in six of the S&P 500's 10 sectors as oil prices rallied on revived tensions over the Iranian nuclear program and renewed speculation about more central-bank easing.

Natural gas and oil producer EOG Resources jumped 6.7%, while drilling contractor Helmerich & Payne rose 5.8%, among the index's biggest advances.

Stocks extended gains after the Commerce Department reported orders for manufactured goods rose 0.7% in May, topping economists' average projection for a 0.1% increase, according to a Dow Jones Newswires poll. April's reading, though, was revised to a sharper decline than initially reported.

Consumer discretionary shares lagged behind after Redbook Research's national chain store sales reading for May was lower than forecast.

Home Depot dropped, pacing declines among Dow components. In the corporate arena, General Motors jumped 5.6% after reporting U.S. auto sales rose a more-than-expected 16%. U.S.-listed shares of Barclays fell 2.1%.

The U.K. banking giant's chief executive, Robert Diamond, resigned as a result of an interest-rate manipulation scandal. Wal-Mart rose 2% to close at an all-time high of $70.75.

EUROPEAN STOCK MARKETS

European stocks rallied for a third day as hope mounted that central banks in Europe and the U.S. will act to bolster economic growth.

The Stoxx Europe 600 index closed up 1% at 257.39. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 ended up 0.8% at 5687.73, Germany's DAX closed 1.3% higher at 6578.21 and France's CAC-40 added 1% to 3271.20.

Oil prices surged, boosted by renewed tension over Iran. As happened Monday, news of economic weakness made it seem more likely that central banks will take measures to bolster growth, underpinning stock prices as well.

Producer-price inflation in the euro zone slowed to its weakest rate in more than two years in May, while in the U.K., the construction sector shrank in June at its fastest pace in more than two years.

The ECB and Bank of England are both set to announce decisions on monetary policy Thursday.

Trading is expected to be quiet Wednesday, with U.S. markets closed for the Fourth of July holiday. In the second half of the session, news that industrial orders in the U.S. were better than expected for May lent support, helping investors to shrug off the International Monetary Fund lowering its growth forecasts for the U.S. this year and next.

Commodity prices rose, boosting mining companies and oil stocks. In London, BHP Billiton rose 2.2% and Rio Tinto jumped more than 3%.

In Paris, oil company Total rose 3%. Shares of Barclays were volatile, initially gaining more than 2% on news that Chief Executive Robert Diamond will leave amid the bank's rate-fixing scandal.

Shares ended down 0.8% as investors responded to news that Chief Operating Officer Jerry del Missier, who had been seen as a potential successor to Mr. Diamond, is also stepping down. German chemicals group BASF and Daimler, the auto maker, both rose 2.3%. Pharmaceutical group Bayer jumped 1.4%.

ASIA-PACIFIC STOCK MARKETS

Asian stocks ended Tuesday mostly higher on speculation the European Central Bank and the Federal Reserve will do more to boost their ailing economies. Japan's Nikkei Average rose 0.7% to 9066.59 and South Korea's Kospi gained 0.9% to 1867.82.

In China, the Hang Seng Index was up 1.5% at 19735.53 after being closed Monday for a public holiday, while the China Shanghai Composite edged 0.1% higher to 2229.19.

The dollar claimed back most of its overnight loses against the yen during Asian trading, helping shares in Japanese exporters: Sony climbed 0.6%, Panasonic gained 1.1% and Canon was 1.3% higher.

Investors in Hong Kong, coming back from a long weekend, were digesting economic data from both China and Macau.

Chinese property developers one of the best performing sectors in Hong Kong this year continued to rise, after news that house prices rebounded month-on-month in June for the first time in nine months.

China Resources Land climbed 2.9% and Shimao Property Holdings gained 5.2%. Chinese auto stocks fell after state-run Xinhua news agency reported over the weekend that Guangzhou has imposed restrictions on small- and medium-sized cars to reduce traffic and cut carbon emissions.

Guangzhou Automobile dropped 4% on the news, and other car companies Geely Automobile and Dongfeng Motor Group fell 3% and 4.4% respectively, on fears that the scheme could be rolled out to other cities.

Macau casino operators underperformed Hong Kong's broad rise as Macau's gambling revenue growth in June came in below expectations, at 12% year-on-year. Although higher than the 7% increase reported in May, the latest score is a reminder that revenue growth has moderated from the aggressive rate in recent years. Sands China was up just 0.2% and SJM Holdings edged forward just 0.1%.

COMMODITIES

Base metals closed sharply higher on the London Metal Exchange Tuesday, boosted by a combination of rekindled hopes for economic stimulus and technically driven buying.

LME three-month aluminum was the stand-out performer of the complex, gaining 4.5% on the day at its peak at $1,993 a metric ton.

The metal closed at $1,981/ton, up 3.8%. Flagship three-month copper ended the session 2.5% higher at $7,818/ton. Oil futures rose 4.7% Tuesday on revived tensions over Iran's nuclear program and renewed speculation central banks will be forced to add more stimulus to the global economy.

Light, sweet crude oil for August delivery settled at $87.66 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Meanwhile, Brent crude-oil futures settled $3.34, or 3.4%, higher at $100.68 a barrel for August delivery on the Intercontinental Exchange.

The last time Brent closed above $100 was May 31. Gold and other precious metals climbed as traders bet that weak economic data pointed to further stimulus from world central banks. The most-actively traded gold contract, for August delivery, rose $24.10, or 1.5%, to settle at $1,621.80 a troy ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange, a two-week high. Compiled from Morrison Securities Pty. Ltd.