Trader's Highlight

DJI-NEW YORK, Dec 10 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks gained on Thursday as signs of improving trends in the job market and a decline in the U.S. October trade deficit reassured investors the economy was on a steady growth path.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was up 68.78 points, or 0.67 percent, at 10,405.83. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> ended up 6.40 points, or 0.58 percent, at 1,102.35. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> closed up 7.13 points, or 0.33 percent, at 2,190.86.

NYMEX-NEW YORK, Dec 10 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil futures fell on Thursday for a seventh day in a row, extending two-month lows below $70 before ending above that level in see-saw trading, as ample fuel supplies stoked worries about demand.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, January crude settled down 13 cents, or 0.18 percent, at $70.54 a barrel, after moving from $69.81, lowest since the $69.17 low on Oct. 8, to $71.39.

In the latest losing streak, front-month NYMEX crude fell $7.83, or 10 percent, the biggest loss for front-month crude since the $11.65, or 16.3 pct loss in a six-day losing streak from June 30, to July 9.

CBOT-SOYBEANS - January down 1-1/2 cents at $10.27 per bushel. Weighed down by USDA's December supply/demand report that showed U.S. soy ending stocks above expectations.

USDA projected 2009/10 U.S. ending stocks of soy at 255 million bushels, above average trade estimate for 233 million.

CBOT-SOYOIL - December up 0.19 cent at 39.09 cents per lb; January up 0.18 at 39.45 cents. Rebounding; gaining against soymeal on oil/meal spreads.

FCPO-JAKARTA, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Malaysian crude palm oil futures edged lower on Thursday but recouped most of the day's fall after an industry regulator released better-than-expected stocks data, traders said.

The benchmark February contract on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange settled down 5 ringgit, or 0.2 percent at 2,521 ringgit ($742.56) a tonne, coming off the day's low of 2,489 ringgit. Overall volume was 20,308 lots of 25 tonnes each.

REGIONAL EQUITIES-KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Stock markets in Malaysia,
Indonesia and the Philippines posted slight gains on Thursday after Wall Street rebounded overnight, but Vietnam fell to more than four-month lows as investors continued to fret about the strength of the global recovery.

Shares in Singapore also fell, though trading was subdued in much of the region as investors wound down their activities ahead of the year-end holidays. Thai markets were closed for a holiday.

Singapore's index <.FTSTI> lost 0.6 percent, with Keppel Corp sliding 1.1 percent and telecoms firm Singapore Telecom losing 0.7 percent.

Malaysia's main share index <.KLSE> rose 0.3 percent, with the country's No.2 lender CIMB also up 0.3 percent and telecoms firm Maxis 0.2 percent higher.