Stocks notch modest gains

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NEW YORK, Sept. 27 (UPI) -- U.S. stock indexes rose Wednesday, although gains were muted by a sharp drop in durable goods orders for August.

The Commerce Department said new orders fell 13.2 percent month-to-month, with a 34.9 percent drop in orders for transportation equipment.

It was the largest overall one-month decline since January 2009, the department said.

Markets found support from rising markets in Asia and Europe. The Shanghai composite index in China rose 2.6 percent. In Europe, the DAX 30 rose by a slim 0.19 percent.

By close of trading, the Dow Jones industrial average added 72.46 points, or 0.54 percent, to 13,485.97. The tech-dominated Nasdaq Composite index gained 42.90 points, or 1.39 percent, to 3,136.60. The S&P 500 added 13.83 points, 0.96 percent, to 1,447.15.

On the New York Stock Exchange, 2,275 stocks advanced and 752 declined on a volume of 3.1 billion shares traded.

The benchmark 10-year treasury fell 14/32 to yield 1.661 percent.

The euro rose to $1.2915 from Wednesday's $1.2871. The U.S. dollar fell to 77.63 yen from Tuesday's 77.75 yen.

In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 index gained 43.17 points, 0.48 percent, to 8,949.87.

In London, the FTSE 100 index gained 0.2 percent, 11.33 points, to 5,779.42.