Trader's Highlight

DJI - NEW YORK, Feb 4 - U.S. stocks fell on Wednesday as a glum profit forecast from Kraft Foods signaled consumers are skimping even on the basics and investors worried that government efforts to rescue banks could wipe out their shareholders.

Even so, a report showing that the vast service sector shrank less than expected in January spurred technology gains, helping the Nasdaq finish near break-even.

But that was before Cisco Systems Inc , the network equipment maker that is a tech bellwether, forecast a slide of as much as 20 percent in its current quarter revenue, hitting other tech shares after the bell.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 121.70 points, or 1.51 percent, to 7,956.66. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index shed 6.28 points, or 0.75 percent, to 832.23. The Nasdaq Composite Index dipped 1.25 points, or 0.08 percent, to 1,515.05.

NYMEX - NEW YORK, Feb 4 - U.S. crude oil futures fell back late on Wednesday as traders conceded that the large crude supply increase at the NYMEX delivery hub in Oklahoma, part of the big inventory build last week, was too bearish for the market to ignore.

But despite the retreat, which came as Wall Street pared earlier gains, crude futures still ended above $40, inching up from the day's lows.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, March crude settled down 46 cents, or 0.46 percent, at $40.32 a barrel, trading from $39.74 to $41.92.

CBOT - SOYBEANS - March up 3-1/2 cents to $9.49-1/2 a bushel. Pares gains and deferred months fell as traders locked in profits following an early strong technical bounce and on forecasts for wetter weather in Argentina. Pullback in crude oil and equity markets also weighed on market.

CBOT - SOYOIL - March up 0.82 cent at 32.35 cents a pound. Supported by crude oil and gains in nearby soy.

FCPO - KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 4 - Malaysian crude palm futures ended up 3.2 percent on Wednesday but came off week highs.

Some investors bought on advancing crude and equity markets and expectations of a sharp decline in domestic inventories also pushed the market higher, traders said.

The benchmark April contract settled up 57 ringgit to 1,845 ringgit ($509.7), after going as high as 1,852 ringgit, a level unseen since Jan. 23.

REGIONAL EQUITIES - BANGKOK, Feb 4 - Southeast Asian stocks were mixed on Wednesday, with Singapore and Malaysia erasing early gains to end lower on selling of big caps such as Singapore Telecom and lender Bumiputra-Commerce.

Singapore's benchmark index shed 0.26 percent, with top telecom firm Singapore Telecommunications down 1.6 percent. Malaysian shares fell for a second day, down 0.33 percent, with Bumiputra-Commerce off 2.3 percent.

Thai shares rose 0.6 percent, while the Indonesian market advanced 1.2 percent and the Philippine index climbed 1.2 percent. Vietnam fell for a third day,
down 0.9 percent at a near 2-month low.