Trader's Highlight

DJI-NEW YORK, Jan 7 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks closed mostly higher after a late session push on Thursday while the U.S. dollar benefited from weak euro-zone data and comments from Japan's new finance minister that he wants a weaker yen.

The small move up in U.S. share prices pushed the Dow Jones industrial average and Standard & Poor's 500 stock indexes to fresh 15-month highs. The Nasdaq Composite Index just missed the plus column.

NYMEX-NEW YORK, Jan 7 (Reuters) - U.S. crude futures ended lower for the first time in 11 trading sessions on Thursday on worries about China's demand growth and a stronger dollar, but frigid Northern Hemisphere weather helped limit losses.

China's central bank surprised markets by raising the interest rate on its three-month bills for the first time since August. Markets took the move as a sign the central bank could be getting ready to use more forceful measures to cool growth and fight inflation.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, February crude settled down 52 cents, or 0.63 percent, at $82.66 a barrel, trading from $82.26 to $83.36. Prices hit an intraday peak of $83.52 on Wednesday, the highest since October, 2008. In 10 days to Wednesday, front-month crude gained $10.71, or 14.8 percent

CBOT-CHICAGO, Jan 7 (Reuters) - Chicago Board of Trade grains and soy complex close on Thursday.
NOTE: China's interest rate hike seen as a move to cool growth and fight inflation, which would be bearish for commodities.

CBOT-SOYBEANS - January down 32-3/4 cents at $10.17-3/4 per bushel,most-active March down 33 at $10.26. Concern about a possible slowdown in U.S. soy exports to China after news China increasing interest rates to slow growth.

CBOT-SOYOIL - January down 0.68 cent at 39.99 cents per lb; March down 0.71 at 40.36 cents. Following soybeans lower.

FCPO-KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 7 (Reuters) - Malaysian crude palm oil futures fell 2.7 percent to one-week lows on Thursday as China's move to tighten liquidity triggered
profit-taking in global vegetable oil markets.

Crude oil easing below $83 a barrel and expectations of higher production in soy-growing regions in South America also weighed on palm oil as well as soyoil markets in the United States and China.

REGIONAL EQUITIES-BANGKOK, Jan 7 (Reuters) - Most Southeast Asian stock markets
ended lower on Thursday, with Singapore's index heavyweights surrendering recent gains, but the Manila index gained thanks to a rise in Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co.

Singapore's index <.FTSTI> closed down 0.6 percent, pulling back from a 17-month peak, led by a 2.3 percent loss in Singapore Telecommunications . CapitaLand , Southeast Asia's biggest developer, fell 0.7 percent.

Malaysia <.KLSE> eased 0.1 percent, ending four days of gains.