11.   Traders said buying by U.S. investment banks and Japanese companies helped the dollar recover from its late New York level overnight.

12.   Traders also said buying in high-technology blue chips by domestic institutional investors and dealers boosted prices.

13.   Traders said buying by institutional investors was outacting selling interest by Japanese exporting companies, but trading remained in a narrow range.

14.   Another local analyst said late buying was driven by an attempt to bring the SET index back into positive territory after early losses.

15.   Dealers said buying of the dollar by importers emerged after initial selling of the currency slowed.

16.   Dealers said late buying in several technology counters also helped the index close on the positive side.

17.   Ekkapat Finance assistant head of research Suchate Sukthae said speculative buying by retail investors and heavy buying by local mutual funds supported the index rise.

18.   They said buying of construction issues was expected to continue for the time being.