Trader's Highlight

DJI-NEW YORK, Aug 19 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks rose on Wednesday, shaking off a slide in China's equity market, as investors responded favorably to a surprising drop in crude oil stockpiles that might suggest an improving demand outlook.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> gained 61.22 points, or 0.66 percent, to end at 9,279.16. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> rose 6.79 points, or 0.69 percent, to 996.46. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> advanced 13.32 points, or 0.68 percent, to 1,969.24.

NYMEX-NEW YORK, Aug 19 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil futures ended nearly 5 percent higher on Wednesday, rallying on government inventory data that showed an unexpectedly large drawdown in crude stocks last week.

"The (EIA) data is being viewed as bullish as all stock categories fell more than expected," said Jim Ritterbusch, president of Ritterbusch & Associates in Galena, Illinois.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, September crude settled up $3.23, or 4.67 percent, at $72.42 a barrel, trading from $68.05 to $72.80. The NYMEX September crude contract expires on Thursday.

CBOT-SOYBEANS - CBOT September up 1-1/2 cents at $9.97. Higher crude oil and weak dollar support market but gains limited in spot September and other months weighed down by good crop weather in the U.S.

Mild temperatures and showers buoying soy pod-setting development stage in the U.S. Midwest and in the Delta.

CBOT-SOYOIL - CBOT September up 0.17 cent per lb at 36.11. Support from gains in crude oil.

FCPO-KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Malaysian crude palm oil futures dropped 3.8 percent to a near 2-week low after sharp falls in China's stock markets and on fears exports may fall below expectations, traders said.

Taking a cue from a second steep drop in the Shanghai bourse, benchmark November palm oil futures on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange dropped as much as 91 ringgit to 2,284 ringgit ($646.1), a level unseen since Aug. 6. The market then settled at 2,299 ringgit per tonne.

REGIONAL EQUITIES-BANGKOK, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Singapore shares fell to their
lowest in almost four weeks on Wednesday, led by losses in financials and property firms such as UOB and CapitaLand, and other major Southeast Asian bourses also slid on worries about the economic recovery.

Malaysia and Indonesia fell close to three-week lows while Thailand tumbled more than 1 percent. Malaysia <.KLSE> lost 0.8 percent and Indonesia <.JKSE>
dropped 2.5 percent. Earlier they fell to the lowest since July
30.

Losers in the region included palm plantation shares, which fell along with weaker Malaysian crude palm oil futures, with IOI Corp down 1.6 percent and Sime Darby 0.5 percent lower.

Singapore's Wilmar International lost 3.0 percent, Indonesia's Astra Agro fell 5.2 percent and Thailand's Univanich Palm ended 1.3 percent lower.