Trader's Highlight

DJI-NEW YORK, May 13 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks tumbled on Wednesday as a gloomy retail sales report revived recent anxiety about the economy's struggle and caused a broad sell-off that accelerated late in the session.

Sales at retailers fell for a second straight month in April, breaking a string of more upbeat reports that had suggested the economic slump was abating and fueling a
two-month rally.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> fell 184.22 points, or 2.18 percent, to 8,284.89. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> lost 24.43 points, or 2.69 percent, to 883.92. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> gave up 51.73 points, or 3.01 percent, to 1,664.19.

NYMEX-NEW YORK, May 13 (Reuters) - U.S. crude futures ended lower on Wednesday as demand worries resurfaced, trumping government inventory data showing a surprise steep drawdown in domestic crude stocks last week.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, June crude settled down 83 cents, or 1.41 percent, at $58.02 a barrel, trading from $57.41 to $59.90. Tuesday's $60.08 intraday peak was the highest since $62.28 on Nov. 11.

CBOT-SOYBEANS - May up 12-1/2 cents at $11.50 a bushel, July up 10-1/2 cents at $11.28.

Tight stocks of soybeans in the United States spur rally to to seven-month high. Low soy yields in South American harvest, strong Chinese demand for soy and fund buying also supportive.

The National Oilseed Processors Association will issue monthly crush data on Thursday.

CBOT-SOYOIL - May down 0.49 cent at 38.90 cents a lb, July down 0.52 cent at 39.16 cents. Turned lower when crude oil began moving lower.

FCPO-KUALA LUMPUR, May 13 (Reuters) - Malaysian palm futures jumped as much as 2.7 percent to a 9-month high on Wednesday as investors fretted over hot dry weather cutting into output in Malaysia and rival soyoil producing Argentina.

Palm oil prices have rallied nearly 65 percent so far this year on low stocks, healthy demand from top buyers China and India and low soyoil yields in South America.

The benchmark July contract gained as much as 74 ringgit at 2,799 ringgit ($792.2) per tonne before settling at 2,789 ringgit. Overall volume doubled to 20,709 lots of 25 tonnes each.

REGIONAL EQUITIES-BANGKOK, May 13 (Reuters) - Singapore's stock market posted a
small gain on Wednesday, with Wilmar International jumping after strong quarterly results, and Thai stocks rose for an eighth session on buying of energy and petrochemical shares.

Singapore's benchmark stock index <.FTSTI> added just 0.3 percent to Tuesday's 0.6 percent rise but is still up 24 percent so far this year. Wilmar , the world's largest listed palm oil firm, rose 5.8 percent.

Malaysia <.KLSE> was flat, with Maybank down 2.8 percent after rising 2.4 percent on Tuesday, while top power producer Tenaga Nasional fell 1.4 percent, extending Tuesday's 1.3 percent loss.

Indonesia <.JKSE> was up 0.5 percent, with banks leading gainers. Bank Rakyat , the third-largest lender, was up 2.6 percent and the biggest lender, Bank Mandiri , was up 1.9 percent.