Trader's Highlight

DJI-NEW YORK, Dec 13 (Reuters) - The Nasdaq closed lower to end eight straight days of gains on Monday as some large-cap tech stocks slid in a late-day sell-off.

The Dow cut its gains and the S&P 500 ended a thinly traded session flat as optimism faded over China's move to tame its growth, and as some technical indicators suggested a near-term pullback could be in the cards.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> gained 18.24 points, or 0.16 percent, to end at 11,428.56, well off its intraday high of 11,480.03. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> inched up a mere 0.06 of a point, or 0.00 percent, to finish at 1,240.46. But the Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> fell 12.63 points, or 0.48 percent, to close at 2,624.91.

NYMEX-NEW YORK, Dec 13 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil futures rebounded on Monday after data showed strong demand in China last month and as OPEC kept output policy intact over the weekend.

China did not raise interest rates over the weekend even though inflation soared to a 28-month high of 5.1 percent last month. While that eased market anxieties for the moment, investors remain worried that China would move for an increase in the near future.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, January crude settled up 82 cents, or 0.93 percent, at $88.61 a barrel, trading from $87.44 to $89.49.

CBOT-CHICAGO, Dec 13 (Reuters) - Soybeans, corn and wheat futures on the Chicago Board of Trade were higher near midday, bolstered by the lower U.S. dollar, which fell following China's decision to keep its interest rates unchanged, traders said.

CBOT-SOYBEANS - January up 24-1/2 cents at $12.97-1/2 per bushel. Firmer crude oil market, weaker dollar supportive to soybeans.
USDA reported export inspections of U.S. soybeans in the latest week at 33.536 million bushels, below trade estimates of 42 million to 47 million.

CBOT-SOYOIL - December up 0.95 cent at 54.74 cents per lb; January up 0.96 at 55.12 cents. Firm crude, expected gains in soybeans to lend strength at open.

FCPO-KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 13 (Reuters) - Malaysian palm oil futures hit a 30-month high on Monday, bolstered by concerns over supply tightness during the monsoon season and a firmer Chinese soyoil market.

The benchmark February 2011 crude palm oil contract was up 2.5 percent at 3,722 ringgit ($1,187.999) per tonne, after touching a high of 3,736 ringgit -- a level unseen since June 2008. Overall traded volume more than doubled to 26,915 lots of 25 tonnes each, compared to the usual 10,000 lots.

REGIONAL EQUITIES-COLOMBO, Dec 13 (Reuters) - Indonesia's stock market fell 1.5 percent on Monday, but most other Southeast Asian bourses were narrowly mixed in thin trading as some investors stayed away, apparently wanting time to digest tightening measures in China.

Indonesia's fall <.JKSE> to its lowest close since Dec. 1 was led by finance shares, and banks elsewhere in the region dropped, too, some analysts attributing that to worries about the impact of China's increase in banks' reserve ratios, the third in a month.

Indonesia is trading at 15.2 times this year's projected earnings, the highest in the region, and compared to all-Asia's 12.6. Thailand is trading at 12.5, lower than the 13.8 of Singapore and 13.9 of Malaysia, Thomson Reuters StarMine data show.