Trader's Highlight

DJI-NEW YORK, May 5 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell on Tuesday as cautious investors fretted about impending bank stress test results and energy shares succumbed to the pressure of lower oil prices.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> dipped 16.09 points, or 0.19 percent, to 8,410.65 points. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> shed 3.44 points, or 0.38 percent, to 903.80. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> dipped 9.44 points, or 0.54 percent, to 1,754.12.

Also on Tuesday, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the three-year U.S. housing bust may be near a bottom and that he expected the recession to end this year, barring a relapse of the financial crisis. However, he also noted U.S. growth would remain subdued and unemployment high.

NYMEX-NEW YORK, May 5 (Reuters) - U.S. crude futures snapped a four-day winning streak on Tuesday, retreating as traders positioned ahead of weekly inventory reports after hitting a 2009 intraday peak amid optimism about economic recovery.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, June crude settled down 63 cents, or 1.16 percent, at $53.84 a barrel, trading from $53.50 to $54.83, where technical resistance was charted and eclipsing the previous 2009 peak of $54.66 struck
on March 26.

CBOT-SOYBEANS - May up 3/4 cent per bushel at $11.16.

Tight stocks of soy support old-crop or nearby months while bull-spreading of July/November weighed on November amid expectations for increased soy plantings.

USDA late on Monday said 6 percent of the U.S. soy crop had been planted, below average trade estimates for 7-10 percent, up from 3 percent a week ago and below the 11 percent 5-year average.

CBOT-SOYOIL - May down 0.25 cent per lb at 37.69 cents per lb. Following the lower Asian trend and weakness in crude oil.

FCPO-JAKARTA, May 5 (Reuters) - Malaysian palm futures retreated on Tuesday after rising a day earlier to their highest in nine months amid renewed concerns that price rally could cut demand, despite of the current supply tightness situation, traders said.

The benchmark July contract dropped 77 ringgit, or 2.9 percent, to 2,625 ringgit per tonne ($748.29). Overall volume more than doubled the usual at 22,092 lots of 25 tonnes each.

REGIONAL EQUITIES-SINGAPORE, May 5 (Reuters) - Singapore stocks extended their
gains on Tuesday to new seven-month highs as hopes about the improvement in the global economy lifted the country's banks, airlines and some plantation shares.

Singapore's index <.FTSTI> finished 2.25 percent higher, with heavyweight bank DBS Group , Singapore Airlines , and Golden Agri posting strong gains.

In Kuala Lumpur, the stock index <.KLSE> ended 0.05 percent lower, dragged down by plantation firms like Sime Darby , which fell 0.75 percent and IOI Corp which lost nearly two percent of its value.