Trader's Highlight

DJI-NEW YORK, Oct 28 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks tumbled in a broad sell-off on Wednesday, sending the benchmark S&P 500 lower for a fourth straight day, after weak data on new home sales heightened concerns about the pace of the economic recovery.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> dropped 119.48 points, or 1.21 percent, to 9,762.69 -- its third triple-digit drop in four days. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> fell 20.78 points, or 1.95 percent, to 1,042.63. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> slid 56.48 points, or 2.67 percent, to 2,059.61.

The government will release its first estimate of third-quarter GDP on Thursday. GDP is expected to have grown at an annual rate of 3.3 percent in the third quarter, according to 77 analysts polled by Reuters.

NYMEX-NEW YORK, Oct 28 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil futures ended more than 2 percent lower on Wednesday, hit by government data showing a surprise increase in gasoline inventories last week.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that crude stocks rose less than expected, pressuring prices that had risen late on Tuesday after a report from the American Petroleum Institute showed a large drawdown.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, December crude settled down $2.09, or 2.63 percent, at $77.46 a barrel, trading from $77.23 to $79.83.

CBOT-SOYBEANS - November down 5 cents at $9.68-1/2 a bushel; January down 6 at $9.70-1/2. Rebounding dollar and an improvement seen coming to U.S. Midwest harvest weather weigh.

CBOT-SOYOIL - December down 0.62 cent at 36.86 cents a lb; deferreds down 0.62 to 0.65. Weakness in crude oil market pressures.

FCPO-KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 28 (Reuters) - Malaysian crude palm oil futures fell as much as 1.4 percent on Wednesday to hit a near two-week low on higher stocks and crude oil easing from its earlier rally.

The benchmark January palm oil contract on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange fell as much as 30 ringgit to 2,140 ringgit ($627) per tonne, a level unseen since Oct. 16. The market then settled 18 ringgit lower at 2,152 ringgit.

REGIONAL EQUITIES-BANGKOK, Oct 28 (Reuters) - Southeast Asian stock markets
fell on Wednesday, with selling of big caps such as Bumi Resources pushing Indonesia to its lowest in seven weeks.

Singapore's index <.FTSTI> fell 1.7 percent to its lowest since Oct. 9, with gaming group Genting Singapore down 2.7 percent and Singapore Telecoms 1.9 percent lower.

Malaysia's index <.KLSE> ended down 0.9 percent, with CIMB Group off 2.7 percent and Axiata Group 1 percent lower.