Trader's Highlight

DJI-NEW YORK, Jan 9 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell on Friday after government data showed the labor market deteriorated further in December, raising investor concerns about the outlook for profits, spending and a deepening recession.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> ended down 143.28 points, or 1.64 percent, to 8,599.18. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> slid 19.38 points, or 2.13 percent, to 890.35. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> fell 45.42 points, or 2.81
percent, to 1,571.59.

U.S. employers slashed 524,000 jobs from payrolls in December, less than the 550,000 seen in a Reuters poll, but still bringing total job losses for 2008 to 2.6 million, the most since 1945.

NYMEX-NEW YORK, Jan 9 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil futures ended down for the third straight session on Friday as demand worries persisted after December jobless data showed that the national unemployment rate rose to the highest level in 16 years.

Losses were pared near the close in a spurt of pre-weekend short-covering and as signs pointed to a possible resolution to the Russia-Ukraine contract dispute over natural gas.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, February crude settled down 87 cents, or 2.09 percent, at $40.83 a barrel, trading from $39.38 to $42.70. For the week, prices fell $5.51, or 11.89 percent.

CBOT-SOYBEANS - January up 48-1/2 cents at $10.37-1/2 a bushel, March up 46-1/2 at $10.36. Forecasts for hot and dry weather in Argentina and in several key crop areas of Brazil rally soybeans. Soy climbs despite falling crude oil and U.S. stock market.

CBOT-SOYOIL - January up 0.98 cent at 36.50 cents a lb, March up 0.94 at 36.72. Lifted by strength in soybeans amid South American crop weather concerns.

FCPO-JAKARTA, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Malaysian palm futures rose on Friday, but came off their highs in late trade amid caution over export performance.

The benchmark March palm oil contract on the Bursa Malaysia's Derivatives Exchange closed up 55 ringgit, or 3.0 percent, at 1,920 ringgit ($5) per tonne, off an intra-day high of 1,948 ringgit.

Other traded contracts rose between 15 ringgit and 48 ringgit. Overall volume was 15,133 lots of 25 tonnes each.

REGIONAL EQUITIES-Southeast Asian markets ended mixed ahead of U.S. job data.
Singapore's Straits Times Index <.FTSTI> fell 1.2 percent to a one-week low, with banks leading decliners.

Malaysia ended higher, its index <.KLSE> adding 0.9 percent, with palm plantation firm IOI Corp up 0.5 percent as Malaysian palm futures rose after a rebound in crude oil.