Trader's Highlight

DJI-NEW YORK, April 22 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks staged a late-day comeback on Thursday as strong quarterly profits from consumer bellwethers like Starbucks Corp outweighed worries about Greece's shaky finances.

First-quarter earnings are on track to set a record for the percentage of companies beating estimates. Eighty-five percent of the 98 S&P 500 companies that have reported so far have beaten estimates, well above the 61 percent in a typical quarter, according to Thomson Reuters.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> climbed 9.37 points, or 0.08 percent, to 11,134.29. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> rose 2.73 points, or 0.23 percent, to 1,208.67. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> gained 14.46 points, or 0.58 percent, to 2,519.07.

NYMEX-NEW YORK, April 22 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil futures reversed course in late trading and ended higher on Thursday, as U.S. equities regained composure also late in the day as higher quarterly earnings reinforced optimism about the economic recovery.

Prices were down most of the day on concerns about Greece's fiscal problems, which had sparked flight from commodities and equities to safer havens such as the dollar.

The late recovery in the energy markets followed losses on Wednesday arising from a government inventory report showing crude stockpiles rose last week, defying forecasts for a slight drop.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, crude for June delivery ended up 2 cents, or 0.02 percent, at $83.70 a barrel, recovering from a session low of $81.73. The day's top hit $84.07.

CBOT-CHICAGO, April 22 (Reuters) - Chicago Board of Trade grains and soy complex close on Thursday.

CBOT-SOYBEANS - May up 8-3/4 cents at $10.04-1/4 per bushel; new-crop November up 8 at $9.85. Rallied on technical buying, including short-covering, but spot May encounters resistance above $10 and stays below Wednesday's three-month high of $10.05.

CBOT-SOYOIL - May up 0.19 cent per lb at 39.09 cents per lb. Gains with soybeans.

FCPO-KUALA LUMPUR, April 22 (Reuters) - Malaysian palm oil futures ended higher on Thursday on stronger vegetable oil markets, although some investors were still cautious on the ringgit currency.

The Malaysian ringgit erased most of its earlier losses as exporters bought the local currency for settlements, weighing on palm oil as the higher ringgit makes the commodity expensive for refiners.

The benchmark July crude palm oil futures on Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange settled up 0.8 percent, or 19 ringgit, to 2,490 ringgit ($778.6) per tonne. Overall traded volume stood at 11,918 lots of 25 tonnes each.

REGIONAL EQUITIES-BANGKOK, April 22 (Reuters) - Optimism over first-quarter earnings pushed regional markets higher on Thursday, even Thailand finishing higher after a volatile session as investors bought banks and electronics firms despite political uncertainty.

Singapore <.FTSTI>, Malaysia <.KLSE> and Indonesia <.JKSE> rose between 0.25 and 0.50percent, while Vietnam <.VNI> rose almost 2 percent.

In Singapore, the largest real estate investment trust CapitaMall Trust rose 2.2 percent and bourse operator Singapore Exchange gained 2.5 percent after both
reported favourable quarterly results in recent sessions.

In Kuala Lumpur, contract manufacturer Unisem rose 5.8 percent and Globetronics gained 4.6 percent on expectations chip makers would deliver strong results, following Intel's stunning performance last week.