Trader's Highlight

DJI-NEW YORK, Dec 24 (Reuters) - One final hurrah, or gasp given the grim global economic conditions, pushed U.S. stocks to a positive close before the Christmas break on Wednesday, but other markets fell, with crude oil slumping 9 percent on the economic outlook.

Stocks in Europe and Asia fell in thin trading volumes, led down by energy pharmaceutical and automotive shares. European and U.S. stock markets closed early.

U.S. stock markets closed at 1 p.m. (1800 GMT). The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> gained 48.91 points, or 0.58 percent, to 8,468.40. The Standard & Poor's 500
Index <.SPX> rose 4.91 points, or 0.57 percent, to 868.07. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> edged higher, up 3.36 points, or 0.22 percent, to 1,524.90.

NYMEX-NEW YORK, Dec 24 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil futures fell 9.31 percent on Wednesday in a shortened session as the dreary economy picture offset a government report showing an unexpected drop in crude oil inventories last week.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, February crude fell $3.63, or 9.31 percent, to settle at $35.35 a barrel, trading from $35.13, a contract low, to $39.69.

CBOT-SOYBEANS - January up 14-3/4 cents at $9.15-3/4 per bushel; March up 14 at $9.19.

CBOT-SOYOIL - January up 0.10 cent per lb at 31.31 cents. Choppy, range-bound session. Caught between firmer soybeans market and weaker crude oil.

FCPO-KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 24 (Reuters) - Malaysian crude palm oil futures ended 1.9 percent higher on Wednesday as traders closed their positions ahead of the Christmas holiday.

The benchmark March 2009 on Bursa Malaysia's Derivatives Exchange closed 29 ringgit higher at 1,559 ringgit ($448.9) per tonne. Gains in other traded months <0#KPO:> ranged between 22 ringgit and 30 ringgit. Overall trade dropped to 3,573 lots of 25 tonnes each from the usual 5,000 lots.

REGIONAL EQUITIES-Malaysian shares <.KLSE> extended their three-day falling streak to end 0.18 percent at an one-week closing low, weighed down by a 0.85 percent fall in Bumiputra Commerce Holdings .

Elsewhere in the region, Indonesia stocks <.JKSE> eased 0.53 percent, while the Philippine index <.PSI> climbed 0.57 percent and Vietnam <.VNI> inched up 0.04 percent, recovering from a 2 percent fall on Tuesday. The Straits Time index <.FTSTI> ended 0.72 percent higher, rebounding after three straight days of losses.