Trader's Highlight

DJI-NEW YORK, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Hopes for the implementation of government stimulus packages rekindled some global appetite for risk on Friday, encouraging investors to move out of safe-haven government bonds and gold, although Wall Street slipped on renewed banking sector fears.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> finished down 82.35 points, or 1.04 percent, at 7,850.41, while the Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> lost 8.35 points, or 1.0 percent, at 826.84. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> declined 7.35 points, or 0.48 percent, at 1,534.36.

NYMEX-NEW YORK, Feb 13 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil futures ended up more than 10 percent on Friday, on hopes that passage of a U.S. economic stimulus package expected to be completed later in the day will help halt an oil demand slowdown.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, March crude settled up $3.53, or 10.39 percent, at $37.51 a barrel, trading from $33.81 to $38.25. For the week, the contract was down $2.66, or 6.62 percent.

NYMEX April crude ended at $41.97, down 20 cents, or 0.47 percent, its premium over March crude shrinking to $4.46, from $8.19 at the close on Thursday.

NYMEX will be closed on Monday for the U.S. Presidents Day holiday and will reopen on Tuesday. Electronic trading on CME Globex and NYMEX Clearport are unaffected and will run on the
normal schedule.

CBOT-SOYBEANS - March down 13 cents to $9.55-1/2 a bushel.

Turned lower as rain forecast for Argentine triggering sales. Also bearish was Argentine farmers postponing strike against the government -- a move that could have impacted exports.

National Oilseed Processors Association to issue January crush data on Tuesday.

CBOT-SOYOIL - March up 0.17 cent to 33.00 cents a lb. Firm, gaining on soymeal after palm oil rallies.

FCPO-KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Malaysian crude palm futures jumped as much as 3.7 percent to hit 5-week highs on Friday as investors took positions on fears drought conditions may worsen in rival soyoil-producing Argentina.

Benchmark April contract settled up 67 ringgit at 1,995 ringgit ($552.3) per tonne, after going as high as 2,000 ringgit, a level unseen since Jan. 7.

Other traded contracts gained between 25 and 130 ringgit <0#KPO:>. Overall volume shot up to 15,176 lots of 25 tonnes each from the usual 10,000 lots.

REGIONAL EQUITIES-BANGKOK, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Most Southeast Asian stock
markets turned higher on Friday, led by financials and property shares such as UOB and Capitaland, with the Thai market also helped by demand for energy blue chips.

Singapore's Straits Times Index <.FTSTI> rose 1.2 percent, Indonesia <.JKSE> climbed about 1 percent, Thailand <.SETI> added 1.2 percent and Malaysia <.KLSE>, the best performer in the region so far this year, was up 1.7 percent.