Trader's Highlight

NYMEX-NEW YORK, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Bullish comments from Warren Buffett helped U.S. stocks end another good month on a high note on Monday, but uncertainty about oil prices could keep investors from pushing the market much higher.

A sign stocks may stall out was evident in the lackluster volume, in contrast with last week's selloff which occurred on heavy volume. Just 7.49 billion shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE Amex and Nasdaq, well below last year's daily average of 8.47 billion.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was up 95.89 points, or 0.79 percent, at 12,226.34. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was up 7.35 points, or 0.56 percent, at 1,327.23. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was up 1.22 points, or 0.04 percent, at 2,782.27.

NYMEX-NEW YORK, Feb 28 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil prices ended lower on Monday, after Saudi Arabia reassured the market that extra supply needed due to disruptions in Libya had been met.

For the month, however, prices rose more than 5 percent, as the supply outages and violence in Libya spurred worries that tensions could spread to other oil producers in the Middle East and North Africa.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, April crude settled down down 91 cents, or 0.93 percent, at $96.97 a barrel. For the month, front-month crude futures rose $4.78, or 5.18 percent, their best performance since December 2010, when prices rose $7.27, or 8.64 percent.

CBOT-CHICAGO, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Chicago Board of Trade grain and soy complex futures close on Monday.

CBOT-SOYBEANS - May down 10-1/4 cents at $13.64-3/4 per bushel. Pressured by harvesting of a likely bumper soy crop in South America while a rally in corn and wheat limited declines.

CBOT-SOYOIL - May down 0.25 cent at 57.33 cents per lb. Following soybeans and pressure from fall of Malaysian palm oil.

FCPO-KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Malaysian palm oil fell 1.2 percent on Friday and marked its worst monthly loss in over a year as traders grew concerned that the spreading Middle East unrest may cloud global economic recovery.

The market swung into losses after posting gains earlier in the day with a U.S. report signalled growing demand for vegetable oil-based biofuel with competing crude oil markets.

The benchmark May crude palm oil contract on Bursa Malaysia Derivatives settled down 43 ringgit to 3,472 ringgit ($1,137.428) per tonne. Overall volumes rose to 26,407 lots of 25 tonnes each, up from the usual 15,000 lots

REGIONAL EQUITIES-COLOMBO, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Indonesia and the Philippines led most Southeast Asian stock markets higher on Monday, and financials were in demand around the region against a background of rising interest rates.

Inflationary expectations as oil and food prices rose also pushed investors towards energy and food companies.

Indonesia <.JKSE> and the Philippines <.PSI> rose 0.8 percent each, while Thailand rose 0.2 percent, mainly thanks to banks. A 3.9 percent gain in Bangkok Bank and a 1.7 percent rise in PTT Exploration and Production helped the Thai index reverse an early loss in thin volume. Malaysia saw a net outflow of 218.6 million ringgit ($71 million).

Singapore and Malaysia saw higher volumes than their 30-day average, but other markets recorded low volume.