Trader's Highlight

DJI-NEW YORK, April 7 (Reuters) - Wall Street slipped on Thursday after a major aftershock in Japan reignited fears about its nuclear power crisis, but greater faith in the U.S. economy's steady path held losses in check.

A rise in retail stocks after better-than-expected March chain-store sales limited broader market declines as the data added to evidence of a sustained economic recovery.

Investors sought protection against further market declines following the magnitude 7.4 aftershock in Japan, but a move to safer assets did not materialize.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was down 17.26 points, or 0.14 percent, at 12,409.49. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was down 2.03 points, or 0.15 percent, at 1,333.51. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was down 3.68 points, or 0.13 percent, at 2,796.14.

NYMEX-NEW YORK, April 7 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil futures rose sharply and pushed above $110 a barrel on Thursday for the first time since 2008 amid uncertainties about supply in Libya, the Middle East and Nigeria and help from supportive economic data.

A drop in jobless claims in the United States and stronger -than-expected retail sales in March also buoyed crude.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, May crude rose $1.47, or 1.35 percent to settle at $110.30 a barrel, the highest settlement since Sept. 22, 2008, when front-month contract prices ended at $120.92. Thursday's trading ranged from from $108.23 to $110.44.

CBOT-CHICAGO, April 7 (Reuters) - U.S. soybean futures unofficially closed lower on Thursday, falling to their lowest level in more than a week as traders adjusted positions ahead of the U.S. Agriculture Department's monthly supply and demand report.

FCPO-KUALA LUMPUR, April 7 (Reuters) - Malaysia palm oil futures fell 1.6 percent on Thursday as traders keep their focus on higher March production of the tropical although some market players point to improving demand this month.

A Reuters survey showed plantations are looking at Malaysian palm oil stocks hitting a 3-month high in March and double-digit production growth as yields recover after two years of lacklustre growth.

The benchmark June crude palm oil contract on Bursa Malaysia Derivatives closed 54 ringgit lower to 3,322 ringgit($1,098) per tonne. Overall traded volume stood at 24,305 lots of 25 tonnes each from the usual 15,000 lots.

REGIONAL EQUITIES-BANGKOK, April 7 (Reuters) - Major Southeast Asian stock markets posted limited gains on Thursday, with continued appetite for risk assets putting big caps in focus and a strong oil market bolstering demand for energy stocks.

The easing risk aversion sentiment, generally supported by earnings optimism for key sectors such as banks, helped keep most regional indexes at their multi-month highs amid only moderate trade volume on Thursday.

Malaysian banks gained, with Malayan Banking and CIMB Bank each up around 0.5 percent.

Fitch Ratings said the rating outlook of Malaysian banks was mostly stable, underpinned by favourable economic prospects and modest inflation risks in 2011.