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NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. hit finger futures were up but eased from primeval highs on weekday after vulgar lubricator jumped and investors awaited evidence from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke.

Bernanke is not due to revilement brief the Fed's stick buying program. With such of the market's steep gains over the instance individual months reaching since the FRS announced its $600 billion stimulus program, investors hit been afraid most the effect of ending it early.

In his evidence to the senate Banking Committee, Bernanke is due to rest cagy most the frugalness despite recent accumulation pointing to improvement.

"Bernanke module feature the frugalness is improving, though andante advancement in job creation module earmark the FRS to ready being adaptative without risking touchable ordered inflation in the brief term," said Oliver Pursche, chair of metropolis Goldberg Financial Services in Suffern, New York.

April U.S. vulgar futures additional nearly 1 proportionality to $97.81 per barrel. The S&P had its weakest performance since Nov last week on concerns that broad lubricator prices would hamper economic activity.

Oil has soared cod to the political instability in the Middle East. In Libya, forces loyal to cheater Muammar Gaddafi massed in the western conception of the country, residents said, patch the United States touched warships and air forces closer to the North African nation.

S&P 500 futures chromatic 3 points and were above fair value, a formula that evaluates pricing by attractive into statement welfare rates, dividends and instance to ending on the contract. Dow designer industrialized cipher futures additional 25 points and Nasdaq 100 futures chromatic 6 points.

February ISM manufacturing accumulation module be released at 10 a.m. EST <1500 GMT>, along with Jan cerebration outlay data. The ISM number is seen ascension to 61 from 60.8 in the preceding month, patch cerebration outlay is due to show a narrower evaluate of fall than in the preceding month.

In the stylish foreign economic data, Chinese manufacturing ontogeny slowed to a six-month baritone in February, suggesting moves to combat inflation haw be working. The accumulation was "reassuring in the significance that it module probably take some pressure of food and forcefulness inflation." said Goldberg's Pursche.

Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc (FDP.N) reportable adjusted fourth-quarter earnings and income that missed expectations, AutoZone Inc (AZO.N) also reportable results primeval Tuesday, patch CenterPoint Energy Inc (CNP.N) are ordered to report quarterly results.

General Mills Inc (GIS.N) and Nestle SA (NESN.VX) are among the directive candidates to buy a 50 proportionality stake in land food maker Yoplait, Bloomberg reported, citing sources.

Stocks chromatic for a second straightforward session Monday after billionaire investor Warren Buffett, chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N), said the corp needed to make "major acquisitions", a clew stocks haw be cheap.

(Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)

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