Trader's Highlight

DJI-NEW YORK, Dec 2 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks snapped back on Tuesday after a pledge by General Electric , a global bellwether, to leave its dividend intact in a fragile economy sparked optimism.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> gained 270.00 points, or 3.31 percent, at 8,419.09. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> rose 32.60 points, or 3.99 percent, at 848.81. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> added 51.73 points, or 3.70 percent, at 1,449.80.

NYMEX-NEW YORK, Dec 2 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil futures ended nearly 5 percent lower on Tuesday, extending the market's slide to more than $100 from the record intraday peak in July.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, January crude closed down $2.32 or 4.71 percent at $46.96, the lowest settlement since prices ended at $46.80 on May 20, 2005.

CBOT-SOYBEANS - January down 19 cents to $8.27 per bushel.

Fell to six-week low and nearly a one-year low as unwinding and profit-taking of soy/corn spreads weighed on soy and supported corn. Soy had been gaining on corn over the past month. Soy also pressured by improved crop weather in Argentina
and Brazil and weak crude oil. Declines limited by firm stock markets and weaker dollar.

SOYOIL - December down 0.69 cent to 30.42 cents per lb, January down 0.63 to 30.77. Lower soybeans and crude oil weighed on soyoil.

FCPO-JAKARTA, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Malaysian palm futures ended down more than 1 percent on Tuesday, depressed by weak crude oil, although they were off their lows on expectations holiday demand may reduce stocks, traders said.

The benchmark February palm oil contract on the Bursa Malaysia's Derivatives Exchange settled down 25 ringgit, or 1.54 percent, after falling 4.17 percent to a low of 1,560 a tonne earlier in the session. Other traded contracts fell between 8 ringgit and 40 ringgit. The overall volume was 9,022 lots of 25 tonnes each.

REGIONAL EQUITIES-BANGKOK, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Southeast Asian stock markets slid
on Tuesday, taking their cues from a deep sell-off on Wall Street overnight, as grim news about the global economy continued to pile up.

The Philippine index <.PSI> slumped 4.7 percent and Singaporean shares <.FTSTI> fell 3 percent, leading falls in the region. Indonesian shares <.JKSE> dropped 2.6 percent, while Vietnam <.VNI> lost 2.3 percent. Thailand <.SETI> ended down 0.9 percent while Malaysia <.KLSE> slid 0.3 percent.