Trader's Highlight

DJI - NEW YORK, March 2 - U.S. stocks slid to 12-year lows on Monday as a record $61.7 billion loss for AIG and another government bailout for the insurer heightened concerns about the extent of the damage to the financial system.

The Dow Jones industrial average slid 299.64 points, or 4.24 percent, to 6,763.29. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index fell 34.27 points, or 4.66 percent, to 700.82. The Nasdaq Composite Index shed 54.99 points, or 3.99 percent, to 1,322.85.

NYMEX - NEW YORK, March 2 - U.S. crude oil futures fell more than 10 percent on Monday, as persistent concerns the deepening economic and financial crisis pushed global equities lower and pulled commodities broadly lower.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, April crude settled $4.61 lower, or 10.3 percent, at $40.15 a barrel, trading from $39.84 to $44.49.

CBOT - SOYBEANS - March down 26 cents at $8.48-1/2 a bushel. Falling stock market, declining crude oil and firm dollar pressured soybean futures. News China shifting soy buying to South America and away from the U.S. also weighed on soy.

CBOT - SOYOIL - March down 0.75 cent at 30.10 cents a pound. Declining crude oil, lower stock markets and firm dollar weigh on soyoil.

FCPO - KUALA LUMPUR, March 2 - Malaysian crude palm oil futures fell 1.3 percent on Monday, extending last week's losses as weaker export data sparked some selling late in the session.

The price of the tropical oil -- used in various products from soap to biodiesel -- briefly broke the major resistance level of 2,000 ringgit two weeks ago, but failed to hold above it on demand concerns.

The benchmark May contract on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange settled up 24 ringgit to 1,871 Malaysian ringgit ($502.6).

REGIONAL EQUITIES - BANGKOK, March 2 - Southeast Asian stock markets fell on Monday due to growing concern about the global banking system, with Singapore at a four-month low as UOB extended losses after poor results and Maybank among the losers in Malaysia.

Singapore's Straits Times Index closed down 3.9 percent, with United Overseas Bank , the second-largest lender, dropping 7.4 percent after brokers cut their price
targets for the bank following last week's results. The index fell 4.4 percent at one stage to 1,524.28, its lowest since Oct. 28.

Malaysia's benchmark stock index lost 1.6 percent to its lowest since Feb. 5, with Maybank off 2.8 percent at 4.96 ringgit after the top lender announced a larger-than-expected rights issue for $1.62 billion on Friday.

Trader's Comment: CPO futures ended lower on late sell-off after it failed to sustain.

CPO futures ended lower on late sell-off after it failed to sustain. Benchmark May09 open RM14 lower at 1881 following the fall of overnight CBOT soy oil and NYMEX crude oil. It was initially well supported and climbed to intra day high at 1904 before it losing its momentum as it hovered between 1900-1885 level through out most of the sessions. The release of end Feb export data by both private cargo surveyors did not help much in providing further support to the CPO market. Traders began to raise their doubt on the possibility of lower end stock level after ITS and SGS reported a decline of 8.2% and 12.4% respectively. Benchmark may09 finally loosed its ground and encountered some liquidation activities in late trading to settled RM24 lower at 1871 after it hit intra day low of 1868. Gloomy regional equity market also provided some negative sentiment to BMD.