Trader's Highlight

DJI-NEW YORK, July 17 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks closed out their best week in four months on Friday on a flat note as strong earnings from IBM softened the blow of disappointing results from General Electric Co .

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> gained 32.12 points, or 0.37 percent, to 8,743.94. But the Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> dipped just 0.36 of a point, or 0.04 percent, to 940.38. And the Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> added 1.58 points, or 0.08 percent, to 1,886.61.

NYMEX-NEW YORK, July 17 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil futures ended higher on Friday, sparked by better-than-expected housing starts data, with more lift provided by renewed protests in Iran and a tropical wave in the Atlantic.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, August crude rose $1.54, or 2.48 percent, to settle at $63.56 a barrel, trading from $61.04 to $63.99.

CBOT-SOYBEANS - CBOT August up 33-1/2 cents per bushel at $10.09-1/2.

Fund buying and short-covering following the plunge on Thursday to a 3-1/2-month low
on news China to sell soy from state grain reserves next week. Good U.S. crop weather limiting gains.

Average of analysts' estimates peg end 2009 soy price slightly below current levels.

CBOT-SOYOIL - CBOT August up 1.02 cents per lb at 34.82.

Short-covering bounce after the drop of prices on Thursday with additional support from higher crude oil.

FCPO-JAKARTA, July 17 (Reuters) - Malaysian palm oil futures jumped 5.1 percent on Friday as investors bet on high export figures due out on Monday, with a rise in rival soybean oil price gave a further boost, traders said.

The benchmark October contract on Bursa Malaysia's Derivatives Exchange rose 103 ringgit to finish at the day's high of 2,123 ringgit ($595.85) a tonne, a level not seen since July 6. Overall volume was 15,575 lots of 25 tonnes each.

REGIONAL EQUITIES-BANGKOK, July 17 (Reuters) - Most major Southeast Asian stock
markets rose on Friday, with Singapore closing at the day's high as developers extended gains and late buying of banks and property shares boosting Bangkok.

The Indonesian market fell after bombs ripped through two luxury hotels in Jakarta but ended down just 0.6 percent.

Singapore's index <.FTSTI> climbed 1.3 percent to 2,430.96, its highest level of the day, with CapitaLand adding 3 percent and City Developments up 4.5 percent as data showing strong home sales for June bolstered sentiment.

Malaysia <.KLSE> rose for a fourth day, adding 1.1 percent, with Bumiputra Commerce up 2.6 percent and national power company Tenaga Nasional and lender Maybank each up 2.5 percent.

Vietnam <.VNI> dropped 1.1 percent, with Vietnam Dairy down 5 percent and VietinBank falling another 5 percent after its poor debut on Thursday.

The Philippine Stock Exchange suspended its regular half-day trading session due to typhoon Molave, which dumped rain on the capital and the north of the country.