Trader's Highlight

DJI - NEW YORK, Jan 22 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks slid on Thursday, after Microsoft's proposed job cuts and disappointing earnings shook investors, while economic data showed further deterioration in the labor and housing markets.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 105.30 points, or 1.28 percent, to 8,122.80. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index dropped 12.74 points, or 1.52 percent, to 827.50. The Nasdaq Composite Index slumped 41.58 points, or 2.76 percent, to 1,465.49.

NYMEX - NEW YORK, Jan 22 - U.S. oil futures surged late to end higher on Thursday, as investors took heart after the Obama White House said it must move quickly on an economic stimulus package.

The energy market's bounce from the lows followed Wall Street, which pared losses after the White House announcement.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, March crude settled up 12 cents. or 0.28 percent, at $43.67 a barrel, trading from $40.41 to $45.10.

CBOT-SOYBEANS - March down 8-1/2 cents at $10.12 a bushel.

Setting back after Wednesday's rally due to drought worries in Argentina, the world's third largest soy producer. Forecast for rains this weekend triggering profit taking.

CBOT-SOYOIL - March down 0.42 cent per lb at 33.53 cents.

Pressured by weakness in soybeans and crude oil.

FCPO - JAKARTA, Jan 22 - Malaysian crude palm oil futures rose 3.4 percent on Thursday to end at a one-week high, fuelled by rising crude oil prices and short-covering in late trade, traders said.

The market had been quiet for most of the day as a holiday mood settled in ahead of Chinese New Year holiday before the short-covering activities kicked in, they said.

The Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange will be closed next Monday and Tuesday.

"We suddenly saw a lot of short-covering activities in the second half of the day due to the strength in crude oil and soyoil prices," a trader at a Kuala Lumpur-based brokerage said.

Another said active deals in the cash market during the day also lifted buying. "It is really unusual. I had expected a very slow day," the trader said.

The benchmark April contract on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange rose 61 ringgit, or 3.4 percent, to 1,870 ringgit ($518) per tonne, the highest finising since Jan. 15.

REGIONAL EQUITIES - BANGKOK, Jan 22 - Singapore's stock market ended off the highs on Thursday after the annual budget failed to dispel concern about the economy, while Thailand's index hit its highest in a week as firm oil lifted energy stocks.

Singapore's Straits Times Index ended 0.25 percent higher after rising 1.9 percent earlier. Big caps ended mixed, with developer CapitaLand falling 4.2 percent and Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp down 0.6 percent.

Other Southeast Asian stock markets were helped by jumps in U.S. stocks on Wednesday, with Malaysia up 0.64 percent, Indonesia gaining 0.44 percent, the Philippines climbing 1.3 percent and Vietnam adding 0.36 percent.

Analysts said the regional stock market rally looked set to be short-lived as poor economic data would depress investors.