Trader's Highlight

DJI-NEW YORK, Dec 8 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks rallied to their highest level in a month on Monday on optimism President-elect Barack Obama's proposed infrastructure spending could limit the depth of the year-old recession and on hopes for a government bailout of the three U.S. automakers.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> rose 298.76 points, or 3.46 percent, to 8,934.18. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> climbed 33.63 points, or 3.84 percent, to 909.70. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was up 62.43 points, or 4.14
percent, at 1,571.74.

NYMEX-NEW YORK, Dec 8 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil futures ended higher on Monday, snapping a six-session losing streak, as hopes for more economic stimulus lifted global equities, the dollar dipped against the euro and industry sources said Saudi
Arabia would cut supply further. U.S. cold weather and a port strike in France also helped lift oil futures, trading sources said. The market has recently become oversold, prompting buying from the lows, they added.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, January crude settled up $2.90, or 7.11 percent, at $43.71 a barrel, trading from $41.55 to $44.70.

CBOT-SOYBEANS - January up 37 cents at $8.20-1/2/bu. Rallied on technical bounce. Improving crop weather in South America overhangs prices.

CBOT-SOYOIL - December up 1.23 cents at $29.48 cents/lb. Following crude oil higher.

FCPO-JAKARTA, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Malaysian palm futures rose more than 2 percent on Friday on short-covering ahead of a long weekend, recovering from losses earlier in the day, traders said.

The benchmark February palm oil contract on the Bursa Malaysia's Derivatives Exchange settled up 37 ringgit, or 2.53 percent, at 1,499 ringgit ($412) a tonne after trading as low as 1,396 ringgit a tonne in the morning session.

Other traded contracts rose between 23 ringgit and 45 ringgit. The overall volume was 12,277 lots of 25 tonnes each.

REGIONAL EQUITIES-BANGKOK, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Thailand's stock index <.SETI> rose 4.5 percent to a one-week high on Monday as investors bought energy blue chips such as PTT , while hopes of a rate cut buoyed stocks such as Ayala Corp in the Philippines.

Trade in Southeast Asia was muted because markets in Singapore <.FTSTI>, Indonesia <.JKSE> and Malaysia <.KLSE> were closed for holidays.