Trader's Highlight

DJI-NEW YORK, Aug 18 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks rose on Tuesday, rebounding after sharp losses in the previous session, as better-than-expected results from big retailers encouraged investors to get back into the market.

The earnings reports offset an unexpected drop in housing starts and permits in July, sending all three major indexes up more than 1 percent in earlier trading.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was up 82.60 points, or 0.90 percent, at 9,217.94. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was up 9.94 points, or 1.01 percent, at 989.67. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was up 25.08 points, or 1.30 percent, at 1,955.92.

NYMEX-NEW YORK, Aug 18 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil futures shot up more than 5 percent to above $70 a barrel in post-settlement trading on Tuesday, after industry data showed a surprisingly large drawdown in crude inventories last week, contrary to forecasts that supplies rose.

Data from the American Petroleum Institute for the week to Aug. 14 showed that crude stocks fell 6.1 million barrels to 342.4 million barrels, distillate stocks rose 1.5 million barrels to 161 million barrels and gasoline stocks fell 847,000
barrels to 212.6 million barrels.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange at 5 p.m. EDT (1700 GMT) September crude was up $3.43, or 5.14 percent, at $70.18 a barrel, after extending the day's high to $70.28. It earlier settled up $2.44, or 3.66 percent, at $69.19, after trading $66.11 to $69.58. The NYMEX September contract expires on Thursday.

CBOT-SOYBEANS - CBOT September up 7-1/2 cents per bushel at $9.95-1/2. News China bought U.S. soy, firm crude oil and short-covering after the price tumble on Monday supporting market.

Gains limited by excellent weather in the U.S. soy regions as the crop goes through its final pod-setting stage of development.

CBOT-SOYOIL - CBOT September up 0.07 cent per lb at 35.94. Following soy and gains in crude oil.

FCPO-KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Malaysian crude palm oil futures gained 1.7 percent on Tuesday after investors were heartened by prospects of higher festival demand and stabilising commodity markets following the previous day's sell-off.

Benchmark November palm oil futures on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange settled up 40 ringgit to 2,375 ringgit ($671.8) per tonne, bouncing off 10-day lows hit on Monday.

REGIONAL EQUITIES-BANGKOK, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Shares in Singapore gained almost
1 percent on Tuesday as late buying in big caps pushed shares such as CapitaLand and SingTel higher, while Thailand reversed early falls amid upbeat outlooks of resources and telecom shares.

Stocks in Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia ended mostly lower, with Jakarta's benchmark index losing more than two percent.

Singapore's benchmark Straits Times Index <.FTSTI> recouped early losses, helped by CapitaLand , which rose 2 percent, and Singapore Telecommunications , which climbed 1.6 percent.

Malaysia <.KLSE> eased 0.4 percent, coming off its early fall to the lowest since July 30, Indonesia's index <.JKSE> lost 2.1 percent, and the Philippine index <.PSI> fell 1.4 percent to its lowest in three weeks.