Trader's Highlight

DJI-NEW YORK, Dec 10 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks rose on Friday, with the S&P 500 at its highest level since the week Lehman Brothers collapsed in 2008, and breaching technical levels that suggest the year-end rally will persist.

Indexes closed near session highs with the Nasdaq Composite up for its eighth consecutive daily gain; in that time, the tech-heavy index is up 5.5 percent. The Nasdaq finished at its highest level since Dec. 31, 2007. Volume was below average as is typical for this time of the year.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> added 40.26 points, or 0.35 percent, to 11,410.32. The Standard & Poor's 500 <.SPX> gained 7.40 points, or 0.60 percent, to 1,240.40. The Nasdaq Composite <.IXIC> rose 20.87 points, or 0.80 percent, to 2,637.54.

NYMEX-NEW YORK, Dec 10 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil futures ended lower on Friday, posting the first weekly loss in three as China raised bank reserve requirements to fight inflation.

China's action spurred further speculation that it may raise interest rates soon, a move that could cool down demand from the world's largest energy consumer.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, January crude settled down 58, or 0.66 percent, at $87.79 a barrel, trading from $87.10 to $89.00. It fell from the $90.76, 26-month high hit on Tuesday.

CBOT-CHICAGO, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Chicago Board of Trade grain and soy complex close on Friday.

CBOT-SOYBEANS - January down 8-1/2 cents at $12.73 per bushel. Lower on technical selling and profit-taking after USDA's U.S. soybean ending stocks forecast came in slightly above trade estimates.

CBOT-SOYOIL - December unchanged at 53.79 cents per lb; January up 0.01 at 54.16 cents. Following declines in soybeans and crude oil.

FCPO-KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Malaysian crude palm oil rose on Friday on a larger than expected stock draw, fuelling concerns the monsoon season will slash output further.

Palm oil marked its second straight week of gains despite exports falling sharply in the first ten days of December after consumers switched to competing soyoil that does not solidify in colder weather.

The benchmark Feb 2011 crude palm oil on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange ended up nearly 1 percent at 3,633 ringgit ($1,156), edging closer to a 29-month high hit the day before. Traded volumes more than doubled to 23,408 lots of 25 tonnes each from the usual 10,000 lots.

REGIONAL EQUITIES-COLOMBO, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Most Southeast Asian stock markets closed lower on Friday on concerns over further policy tightening by China and persistent worries about Europe's debt crisis, but Indonesia and the Philippines continued to see significant inflows.

Indonesia <.JKSE>, the region's best performer in 2010, saw foreign inflows of $327.9 million foreign inflow, the highest daily net offshore buying this year, Reuters data showed.

But the overall Jakarta market fell 1 percent from a record high led by banking shares, which were volatile throughout the week, which analysts attributed to heavy local buying in small cap banks. The bourse has gained 48 percent so far this year.

Singapore <.FTSTI> fell 0.8 percent on profit taking and Malaysia <.KLSE> closed 0.9 percent weaker on concerns over possible rate hikes in China over the weekend.