Trader's Highlight

DJI-NEW YORK, May 17 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks staged a late-day comeback on Monday, reversing a 184-point drop, as the euro's rebound from a four-year low temporarily offset fears that euro-zone austerity measures could stifle global growth.

Given the euro zone's debt problems, the euro has become a proxy for risk appetite, rising and falling in tandem with U.S. stocks.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> finished up 5.67 points, or 0.05 percent, at 10,625.83, while the benchmark Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was up 1.26 points, or 0.11 percent, at 1,136.94. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was up 7.38 points, or 0.31 percent, at 2,354.23.

NYMEX-NEW YORK, May 17 (Reuters) - U.S. crude futures fell for the fifth day in a row on Monday, hitting the lowest level in five months amid worries that euro zone debt troubles could stifle economic recovery and cause oil demand to falter.

Front month June crude also came under selling pressure as options on the contract expired, with the contract itself set to expire on Thursday.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, June crude settled down $1.53, or 2.14 percent, at $70.08 a barrel, the weakest closing since Dec. 14, 209's $69.51. The day's low of $69.27 was the lowest since the intraday low of $68.59, also on Dec. 14. The contract peaked for the day at $72.25.

CBOT-CHICAGO, May 17 (Reuters) - Chicago Board of Trade grains and soy complex close on Monday.

CBOT-SOYBEANS - July down 12-1/2 cents at $9.41 per bushel; new-crop November down 9-3/4 at $9.16-1/2. Weighed down by firm dollar, lower crude oil, plentiful global stockpile of oilseeds and outlooks for a potential bumper 2010 U.S. soybean crop.

CBOT-SOYOIL - July down 0.38 cent at 37.13 cents per lb. Following soybeans, with additional pressure from declines in crude oil.

FCPO-JAKARTA, May 17 (Reuters) - Malaysian palm oil futures fell to their lowest close in four months on Monday, as a drop in the crude oil price dragged down other vegetable oil markets as well, traders said.

U.S. crude oil rebounded to above $70 a barrel on Monday, after hitting its lowest in more than three months, extending a loss of nearly 18 percent so far in May on concerns over Europe's debts, the weak euro, and swollen U.S. oil inventories.

The benchmark August crude palm oil futures on Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange fell 0.9 percent, or 22 ringgit, to 2,425 ringgit ($782) a tonne, its lowest since January 26.

Traded volume reached 14,915 lots of 25 tonnes each, more than the midday average of 10,000 lots. Other palm oil contracts fell between 0.81 percent to 1.15 percent.

Exports of Malaysian palm oil products for May 1-15 jumped 23.1 percent to 591,887 tonnes, from 480,966 tonnes shipped between April 1 to 15, cargo surveyor Intertek Testing Services said on Saturday.

REGIONAL EQUITIES-COLOMBO, May 17 (Reuters) - All Southeast Asia markets fell on Monday over debt worries in the euro zone, while Thai stocks slipped to a one-month low after at least 37 people were killed in violent protests in Bangkok.

Thailand <.SETI> fell 2 percent, Singapore <.FTSTI> slid 0.75 percent to a one-week low, and Indonesia <.JKSE> closed 1.4 percent weaker. Malaysia <.KLSE> shed 0.4 percent, the Philippines <.PSI> lost 1.2 percent and Vietnam closed 1.8 percent lower.

In Singapore, Oversea Chinese Banking Corp fell 0.1 percent and the country's biggest telephone firm Singapore Telecom slid 1.7 percent.

Malaysia <.KLSE> was off 0.4 percent with planter IOI Corp. and telecoms firm Axiata Group falling over 1.8 percent.