Trader's Highlight

DJI-NEW YORK, April 28 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell on Tuesday as fresh worries that major banks may need to raise more money offset more reassuring economic data that suggested the worst may be over and a big dividend boost from IBM.

Worries also lingered over the economic impact from the threat of a flu pandemic, as New Zealand and Israel were the latest countries to confirm cases of a new strain of flu linked to dozens of deaths in Mexico.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> slipped 8.05 points, or 0.10 percent, to 8,016.95. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> dropped 2.35 points, or 0.27 percent, to 855.16. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> declined 5.60 points, or 0.33 percent, to 1,673.81.

NYMEX-NEW YORK, April 28 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil futures were down in post-settlement trading on Wednesday after inventory data from the American Petroleum Institute showed domestic crude stocks rose much more than expected last week.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange at 1700 p.m. EDT (2100 GMT), June crude was down 85 cents, or 1.7 percent, at $49.29 a barrel. It earlier settled down 22 cents, or 0.44 percent, at $49.92, trading from $48.55 to $50.19.

CBOT-SOYBEANS - May down 15-1/4 cents at $9.89-1/2 per bushel.

Talk of slowdown in U.S. export sales of soybeans including talk China backing away from U.S. soy weighing on market in addition to unwinding of old-crop/new-crop spreads.

Talk China cancelled 4-5 cargoes of U.S. soy.

USDA said 3 percent of the U.S. soybean crop had been seeded, below the 5 percent five-year average but in line with trade expectations for 3 percent.

CBOT-SOYOIL - May down 0.64 cent at 34.90 cents per lb. Pressured by lower soybeans and lower crude oil.

FCPO-KUALA LUMPUR, April 28 (Reuters) - Malaysian crude palm oil futures dropped 1 percent on Tuesday as weaker vegetable oil markets priced in fears that the outbreak of swine flu in Mexico would reduce demand for meat and grains.

Palm oil prices made strong gains earlier in the trading session, crossing the 2,500 ringgit ($690.6) level as expectations of strong demand and tight supplies lifted the market.

The benchmark July contract on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange fell 25 ringgit to settle at 2,456 ringgit ($678.4) per tonne by after going as high as 2,530 ringgit.

REGIONAL EQUITIES-BANGKOK, April 28 (Reuters) - Singapore shares fell for a third day to near three-week lows on Tuesday, leading declines in Southeast Asian stocks in a market unnerved by worries about the potential economic fallout from a swine flu outbreak.

Singapore's benchmark index <.FTSTI> eased 0.6 percent, recovering some of an earlier 1.5 percent loss to its lowest since April 8, while Malaysia's stock index <.KLSE> dropped 1.5 percent and Thailand's SET index <.SETI> slid 0.5 percent.

Asian stocks elsewhere declined for a second day, with investors fretting not only about swine flu but also the results of U.S. bank stress tests, especially after a report that Bank of America and Citigroup might need still more capital.