* Rebound led by short-covering in battered sectors * Steelmakers, shippers jump after underperformance * Earnings soft but not worse than market expectations * Carmakers benefit as yen stabilises By Sophie Knight TOKYO, July 27 (Reuters) - Japan's shippers, steelmakers and automakers made strong showings as the Nikkei share average rose on Friday in a rally built on short-covering triggered by comments from the European Central Bank's chief that supported a euro.