Trader's Highlight

FCPO-JAKARTA, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Malaysian crude palm oil futures finished 1.4 percent higher on Monday, underpinned by expectations of supportive data on exports for the first 20 days of January, traders said.

The benchmark April contract on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange gained 26 ringgit, or 1.4 percent, to 1,859 ringgit a tonne ($520).

Other traded contracts rose between 16 ringgit and 25 ringgit. Overall volume was at 10,407 lots of 25 tonnes each.

REGIONAL EQUITIES-Singapore's Straits Times Index <.FTSTI> closed up 0.96
percent.

Singapore's government is due to announce the state budget on Jan. 22 and the market expects it to contain incentives to help revive business and the economy, dealers said.

Stocks elsewhere in Asia were mostly lower, although investors were looking for U.S. President-elect Barack Obama to quickly roll out hefty economic stimulus spending and a revived plan to buy bad bank assets.

Thailand's stock index <.SETI> edged up 0.12 percent, Malaysia's <.KLSE> lost 0.69 percent, Jakarta stocks <.JKSE> slid 0.97 percent, the Philippine index <.PSI> fell 1.4 percent to its lowest since Dec. 24 and Vietnam <.VNI> was off 0.37 percent.