Trader's Highlight

DJI-NEW YORK, Feb 19 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell on Thursday, with the Dow setting a new bear market low, as signs of a worsening U.S. economy unsettled investors while concerns over global stimulus spending sent government debt prices lower.

The number of U.S. workers drawing unemployment aid jumped to a record high of nearly 5 million and a surprisingly sharp drop in manufacturing in the mid-Atlantic states reinforced fears that the deepening slump would hurt corporate profits.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> slid to its lowest level in six years, sliding past the bear market low of Nov. 21. Technology companies led the Dow lower, but Bank of America and Citigroup again grabbed headlines with sharp declines in thin, but choppy trading volume.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> closed down 89.68 points, or 1.19 percent, at 7,465.95. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> fell 9.48 points, or 1.20 percent, at 778.94. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> shed 25.15 points, or 1.71 percent, at 1,442.82.

NYMEX-NEW YORK, Feb 19 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil futures surged more than 14 percent on Thursday, lifted by a surprise drawdown in domestic crude stocks and short-covering ahead of the front-month contract's expiration on Friday.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, March crude settled up $4.86, or 14.04 percent, at $39.48 a barrel, trading from $34.59 to $39.85.

CBOT-SOYBEANS - March down 3 cents to $8.84-1/2 a bushel. Ended mixed with nearby contracts down and deferred months higher on unwinding of bull-spreads. Rumor China and/or EU canceling soy contracts also weighed on nearby month.

CBOT-SOYOIL - March unchanged at 30.42 cents a lb. Following late mixed trend in soy.

FCPO-JAKARTA, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Malaysian palm futures closed lower for the fourth day in a row on Thursday, on fears it may track the decline in soybean prices, traders said.

The benchmark May contract fell 15 ringgit, or 0.8 percent, to 1,860 ringgit ($509) per tonne, having fallen as low as 1,830 ringgit, a level not seen since February 6.

Other traded contracts were mixed. The overall volume was 22,439 lots of 25 tonnes each.

REGIONAL EQUITIES-BANGKOK, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Southeast Asian stocks were mixed
on Thursday, with Singapore touching a near 3-month low on broad selling of big caps such as CapitaLand and SingTel while Malaysia rose after three days of falls, with MayBank among the advancers.

Elsewhere in the region, the Thai stock index <.SETI> rose for a second day, adding 0.5 percent, Indonesia's index <.JKSE> fell 0.5 percent, the Philippines gained 0.4 percent and Vietnam <.VNI> inched down 0.09 percent.