Trader's Highlight

DJI-NEW YORK, May 22 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell for a fourth day on Friday on persistent worries about the U.S. budget deficit, with U.S. Treasuries and the dollar losing ground.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> dropped 14.81 points, or 0.18 percent, to 8,277.32. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> fell 1.33 points, or 0.15 percent, to 887.00. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> lost 3.24 points, or 0.19 percent, to 1,692.01.

NYMEX-NEW YORK, May 22 (Reuters) - U.S. crude futures ended higher on Friday, spurred by pre-holiday short-covering, after earlier being listless as traders weighed weak fundamentals against the falling dollar.

News that bad weather had forced the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port to cancel offloading of tankers for a second day was supportive.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, July crude settled up 62 cents, or 1.02 percent, at $61.67 a barrel, trading from $60.50 to $61.98.

CBOT-SOYBEANS - July down 9 cents at $11.66. November up 8 at $10.31-1/2.

Profit-taking of the July/November bull spread pressured July and boosted November. Market had rallied to near fresh eight-month high on shrinking stocks of soy, big export sales of U.S. soybean stocks and low yields in South America. China continues to buy soybeans.

CBOT-SOYOIL - July up 0.12 cent at 38.10. Weak dollar and higher crude oil contributing support.

FCPO-JAKARTA, May 22 (Reuters) - Malaysian palm futures rose nearly 1 percent on Friday, rebounding from a three-week low a day earlier, but fears over supplies in the world's number-two producer and a strong ringgit capped gains, traders said.

The benchmark August contract on the Bursa Malaysia's Derivatives Exchange rose 23 ringgit, or 0.9 percent, to 2,522 ringgit ($723.05) per tonne, after posting its biggest day-fall in more than three weeks on Thursday.

REGIONAL EQUITIES-BANGKOK, May 22 (Reuters) - Southeast Asian stock markets mostly recovered from early falls on Friday, with energy-related shares among the advancers, including Singapore's Golden Agri, Malaysia's Tenaga, Thai PTTEP and Indonesia's Adaro Energy.

Singapore's index <.FTSTI> climbed 1.6 percent, recouping a loss of almost 1 percent in morning trade, Malaysia <.KLSE> gained 0.9 percent after earlier slipping 0.5 percent, and Thai stocks <.SETI> rose almost 1 percent after dropping 1 percent.

Indonesia <.JKSE> eased 0.2 percent on resuming trade after closing on Thursday for a market holiday.