Trader's Highlight

DJI-NEW YORK, Oct 26 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell for a second straight session on Monday as investors ditched home builders and financials on fears lawmakers may let a federal home buyer tax credit expire, while commodity shares succumbed to pressure from the higher U.S. dollar.

Trading was choppy. Stocks initially started on firmer footing, with indexes up more than 1 percent shortly after the open, but the bounce quickly faded as the U.S. dollar rebounded and investors fretted about the financial sector's prospects.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> dropped 104.22 points, or 1.05 percent, to 9,867.96. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> shed 12.65 points, or 1.17 percent, to 1,066.95. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> fell 12.62 points, or 0.59 percent, to 2,141.85.

NYMEX-NEW YORK, Oct 26 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil futures ended more than 2 percent lower on Monday as the dollar regained strength after an early fall, prompting investors to sell a broad line of oil and other commodities.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, December crude settled down $1.82, or 2.26 percent, at $78.68 a barrel, trading from $77.97 to $81.58.

CBOT-SOYBEANS - November down 19-1/2 cents at $9.86-1/2 a bushel; active deferreds down 15-1/2 to 18-3/4.

Profit-taking after last week's rally tied to the falling dollar and harvest delays. Firmer dollar and outlooks for improving harvest weather next week weigh. Talk of China deferring three to four shipments of U.S. soybeans also pressures market.

CBOT-SOYOIL - December down 0.31 cent at 37.63 cents per lb; active deferreds down 0.30 to 0.31. Spillover selling from soybeans, crude oil.

FCPO-KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Malaysian crude palm oil futures fell 0.9 percent on Monday, retreating from more than 7-week highs hit last week, on fears of growing stockpiles although a surge in palm oil exports curbed further losses.

The benchmark January contract on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange settled down 20 ringgit to 2,218 ringgit ($656.6) per tonne. On Friday the market ended up 2,243 ringgit, a level unseen since Sept. 3.

REGIONAL EQUITIES-BANGKOK, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Southeast Asian stock markets
ended mixed on Monday, with financial shares in Singapore and Malaysia such as DBS and CIMB erasing early gains and blue chips elsewhere coming off their highs.

Most markets in the region had a listless session and lower trading volume, with Singapore <.FTSTI> eking out a 0.05 percent gain, Malaysia <.KLSE> falling 0.6 percent, Indonesia <.JKSE> flat and Thailand <.SETI> 0.3 percent higher. Financial shares in the city-state and Kuala Lumpur ended in
negative territory ahead of results later in the month.