U.S. markets regain Tuesday's losses

Eurostat said industrial orders fell 3.8 percent in the euro zone in September compared to August and dropped 2.5 percent in the 27-member European Union. In Washington, the Commerce Department said new orders for durable goods fell 3.3 percent in October after a 5 percent increase in September.

In an early release to accommodate the Thanksgiving holiday, the Department of Labor said weekly first-time unemployment benefit claims fell by 34,000 in the week ending Nov. 20.

In early afternoon trading on Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average added 142.81 points, 1.29 percent, to 11,179.18, just ahead of Tuesday's loss of 142.21 points. The Standard & Poor's 500 index added 1.38 percent, 16.34 points, to 1,197.07 after losing 17.11 points Tuesday. The Nasdaq composite index, off 37.07 points Tuesday, gained 47.28 points, 1.9 percent, to 2,542.23.

The benchmark 10-year treasury note lost 31/32 to yield 2.894 percent.

The euro fell to $1.3334 from Tuesday's $1.337. Against the yen, the dollar rose to $83.50 yen from Tuesday's 83.17 yen.

The Nikkei 225 index in Japan dropped 0.84 percent, 85.08, to 10,030.11.

The FTSE 100 index in Britain added 1.36 percent, 75.82, to 5,657.10.

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