Trader's Highlight

DJI-NEW YORK, Aug 22 (Reuters) - World stocks eked out a gain on Monday, stabilizing after the previous four weeks of sharp losses, while Brent crude prices slipped on prospects Libya's civil war will soon end.

U.S. stocks struggled to end barely higher, while gold, a traditional safe haven, hit a third consecutive all-time high near $1,900 after staging its biggest weekly gain in 2-1/2 years last week.

Sharp volatility in stocks, which has marked trading in recent weeks, underscored investor nervousness.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average .DJI gained 37.00 points, or 0.34 percent, at 10,854.65. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index .SPX was up 0.29 point, or 0.03 percent, at 1,123.82. The Nasdaq Composite Index .IXIC added 3.54 points, or 0.15 percent, at 2,345.38.

NYMEX-NEW YORK, Aug 22 (Reuters) - U.S. crude futures ended higher in volatile trading on Monday as gains on Wall Street lifted sentiment toward oil.

U.S. crude's discount to Brent crude narrowed from a record above $26 on Friday, as Brent fell on hopes Libyan oil production would restart soon, with the end to the country's civil war looming

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, crude for September delivery CLU1 expired and settled at $84.12 a barrel, gaining $1.86, or 2.26 percent, and trading from $81.13 to $84.67.

CBOT-SOYBEANS-Aug 22 (Reuters) - Soybean futures on the Chicago Board of Trade closed higher, lifted by concerns about disappointing weekend rains in the U.S. Midwest and the impact on soy yield prospects, traders said. Strength in U.S. crude oil futures and equity markets added support.

FCPO-KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Malaysian palm oil futures rose on Monday on strong exports, although there were concerns that demand may slow as the global economic outlook gets clouded by Europe's debt crisis and prospects of another U.S. recession.

Still-high stocks in top palm oil producers Indonesia and Malaysia have also weighed on the market in recent months, with prices down about a fifth since the start of the year.

The benchmark November contract KPOc3 on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange settled up 0.6 percent to 3,022 ringgit($1,013.58) per tonne. It rebounded from a one-week low of 2,990 ringgit struck on Friday.

Overall traded volumes stood at 11,913 lots of 25 tonnes each, less than half the usual 25,000 lots.

REGIONAL EQUITIES-BANGKOK, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Major Southeast Asian stock markets posted small losses on Monday, minimised by late bargain hunting in retail stocks that offset woes over a festering debt crisis in Europe and a grim economic outlook for the United States.

Most regional sharemarkets recouped early losses after late buying in beaten-down consumer stocks, but signs that the U.S. economy could slide back into recession raised fears of a steep global slowdown and potential its impact on local growth and earnings.

Singapore stocks .FTSTI ended nearly flat, picking up after slumping 1.9 percent fall at one point to its lowest since May 27. Stocks in Indonesia .JKSE, Thailand .SETI and Malaysia .KLSE rebounded from day lows to the lowest in more than one week.

Some brokers were reviewing year-end targets of indexes in the region, taking into account lower optimism on regional growth.

Singapore cellphone company Singapore Telecommunications STEL.SI gained 1.4 percent, reversing an early fall, while United Overseas Bank UOBH.SI fell 1.8 percent and DBS Group Holdings DBSM.SI eased 1.1 percent.