Trader's Highlight

DJI-NEW YORK, April 7 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks slid on Tuesday, hammered by fears that companies will show they struggled in the first quarter as the recession dragged on as the earnings season kicked off with Alcoa.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> fell 186.29 points, or 2.34 percent, to 7,789.56. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> lost 19.93 points, or 2.39 percent, to 815.55. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> gave up 45.10 points, or 2.81 percent, at 1,561.61.

NYMEX-NEW YORK, April 7 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil futures fell further in post-settlement trading on Tuesday, after the industry group American Petroleum Institute reported a rise in domestic crude stocks that was much more than expected.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration, statistical branch of the Department of Energy, will issue its own inventory report at 10:30 a.m. EDT on Wednesday.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange at 4:55 p.m. EDT (2055 GMT) May crude was down $2.53, or 4.96 percent, at $48.52 a barrel. It earlier settled lower for a third day in a row, at $49.15, down $1.90, or 3.72 percent, after trading from $48.89 to $51.82.

CBOT-SOYBEANS - May down 4-1/2 cents at $9.89-1/2 per bushel; November down 3-1/2 cents at $9.08-1/2.

Falling stock market and crude oil as the dollar firmed weighed on soy market. Underpinned by tight 2008/09 U.S. soy supply amid strong export pace, disappointing Argentine harvest yields, and talk of fresh Chinese interest in U.S. soy.

Exporters seeing fresh Chinese interest in U.S. soybeans for May, June shipment. U.S. values about 5 cents above Brazilian soy but Brazil nearby supplies tight.

Brazil 2008/09 soy crop seen at 58.1 million tonnes versus 57.6 million tonnes in February - government.

CBOT-SOYOIL - May down 0.15 cent at 34.84 cents per lb. Following lower crude oil.

FCPO-JAKARTA, April 7 (Reuters) - Malaysian crude palm oil futures rose to a fresh six months closing high on Tuesday boosted by hopes that palm oil stocks in the world's second biggest producer dropped further in March, traders said.

The benchmark June contract on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange rose 35 ringgit, or 1.6 percent, to 2,180 ringgit ($607.24) per tonne, after going as high as 2,201 ringgit.

Other traded months rose between 15 and 45 ringgit. <0#KPO:>. Overall volume was at 14,634 lots of 25 tonnes each, against the usual 10,000 lots.

REGIONAL EQUITIES-BANGKOK, April 7 (Reuters) - Major Southeast Asian stocks fell on Tuesday as losses in financial shares and other index heavyweights ended a five-day rise in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia amid renewed worries over the U.S. banking sector.

Singapore's Straits Times Index <.FTSTI> dropped 2.5 percent, erasing part of a 10.4 percent gain over the past five days, with top bank DBS Group down 3.8 percent and United Overseas Bank 4.2 percent lower.

Malaysia's index <.KLSE> eased 0.4 percent after a five-day gain of 6.3 percent, with banks leading losers. Top lender Maybank slid 5.8 percent, CIMB lost 3.9 percent and Public Bank shed 1.3 percent.