US stocks and commodities rose amid better-than-estimated economic data and assurances from Federal Reserve officials that the central bank will continue to spur growth if needed. Italian and Spanish bonds rose as European finance chiefs agreed on how to handle failing banks. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index climbed 0.8 per cent to 1,615.36 at 2:31 p.m. in New York and the Stoxx Europe 600 Index jumped 0.6 per cent. The S&P GSCI gauge of 24 raw materials rose 0.8 per cent as oil surged 1.5 per cent, while gold dipped to a 34-month low below $US1,200 an ounce. Ten-year Treasury yields lost six basis points to 2.48 per cent and the rate on Italy's bonds dropped 14 basis points to 4.57...
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