Trader's Highlights

DJI - NEW YORK, Jan 8 - U.S. stocks rose on Friday after trading in the red most of the day as investors concluded weak December jobs data wouldn't interrupt a trend of steady economic recovery.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 11.33 points, or 0.11 percent, at 10,618.19. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index climbed 3.29 points, or 0.29 percent, at 1,144.98. The
Nasdaq Composite Index added 17.12 points, or 0.74 percent, at 2,317.17.

NYMEX - NEW YORK, Jan 8 - U.S. crude oil futures ended up on Friday as gasoline futures surged after a fire at a Canadian refinery that ships products to the New York Harbor trumped worries on the job front.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, February crude settled up 9 cents, or 0.11 percent, at $82.75 a barrel, trading from $81.80 to $83.47, short of Wednesday's near 15-month high of $83.52. Prices are up $1.24, or 1.52 percent, from a week ago.

CBOT - SOYBEANS - January down 4-3/4 cents at $10.13 a bushel; most-active March down 4 at $10.22. Good crop weather and record-large soy crop prospects in South America weigh on soybean futures, along with concern about a potential slowdown in Chinese buying of U.S. soy.

CBOT - SOYOIL - January down 0.46 cent at 39.53 cents per lb; March down 0.45 at 39.91 cents. Following soybeans, with downturn in crude oil market adding pressure.

FCPO - JAKARTA, Jan 8 - Malaysian crude palm oil futures ended 0.2 percent lower on Friday, but regained most of the day's earlier losses on late position squaring amid caution ahead of stock data due out Monday, traders said.

The market was under pressure initially on follow-through selling over fears that China's move to tighten liquidity could hit demand for the tropical oil and on talk of higher palm oil stocks in December.

The benchmark March contract on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange settled down 4 ringgit at 2,626 ringgit ($778.07), after going as low as 2,590 ringgit. Overall volume was double the usual at 20,115 lots of 25 tonnes each.

REGIONAL EQUITIES - BANGKOK, Jan 8 - Most Southeast Asian stock markets were narrowly higher on Friday, with Singapore, Indonesia and hailand leading the way as investors piled into agricultural firms and exporters due to optimism about the global recovery.

Singapore's Straits Times Index added 0.27 percent, recovering from Thursday's drop to stay around 17-month highs, while Indonesia rallied after a two-day fall, rising 1.06 percent and hovering near its highest in 22 months.

Thai stocks advanced 0.59 percent, having hit a one-week high in early trade, boosted by demand for exporters such as chicken exporter Charoen Pokphand Foods, which rose 2.65 percent.

Malaysian shares ended up 0.12 percent, but Philippine shares inched 0.02 percent lower and Vietnam hit a near-one-week low, falling 2.33 percent.