Trader's Highlight

DJI-NEW YORK, March 24 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell on Wednesday as Portugal's credit rating downgrade and a weak Treasury note auction stirred concerns about sovereign debt.

Major indexes eased a day after hitting 18-month highs, with losses across most sectors on light volume. Worries centered on countries' ability to pay their debt, bolstering the dollar and hurting commodity-related stocks.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> fell 52.68 points, or 0.48 percent, to close at 10,836.15. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> slipped 6.45 points, or 0.55 percent, to end at 1,167.72. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> dropped 16.48 points, or 0.68 percent, to close at 2,398.76.

NYMEX-NEW YORK, March 24 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil futures ended sharply lower on Wednesday on data showing a larger-than-expected increase in domestic crude stocks last week and as the dollar rallied on euro zone debt worries.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange May crude settled down $1.30, or 1.6 percent, at $80.61 a barrel, trading from $79.88 to $81.64.

CBOT-CHICAGO, March 24 (Reuters) - Chicago Board of Trade grains and soy complex close on Wednesday.

CBOT-SOYBEANS - May down 8 cents at $9.60 per bushel. Strong dollar, lower crude oil combine to weigh on soybean futures but market ended above the day's lows as May held above support at 50 day moving average at $9.53. Argentine dockworkers continued a strike for a second day on Wednesday at two terminals in one of the country's main grain ports.

CBOT-SOYOIL - May down 0.46 cent at 39.08 cents per lb. Pressure from lower soybeans, firm dollar and drop in crude oil.

FCPO-JAKARTA, March 24 (Reuters) - Malaysian palm oil futures ended down 1.2 percent on Wednesday, under pressure as weak crude oil and soyoil weighed on the market.

Concerns about lower exports for the full month of March due to the strengthening of the ringgit against the dollar, also put pressure on the prices, traders said.

Benchmark June crude palm oil futures on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange settled down 31 ringgit, or 1.2 percent, to 2,560 ringgit per tonne.
Overall trade volume stood at 13,662 lots of 25 tonnes each.

REGIONAL EQUITIES-BANGKOK, March 24 (Reuters) - Indonesian stocks climbed to their highest in nearly a week on Wednesday as strong bank results induced buying in the sector, while Thailand hit a 21-month high as renewed tax breaks helped property shares. Markets in the region were mostly firmer, and the Philippines <.PSI> surged to a two-year high.

But Singapore <.FTSTI> lost 0.7 percent as investors took profits across the board, a Singapore-based dealer said, with Singapore Exchange , Asia's second-largest listed bourse, down 0.5 percent and Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp , Singapore's No. 2 lender, down 0.3 percent.

In Kuala Lumpur, the index <.KLSE> was up 0.35 percent. Among actively traded stocks, financial CIMB Group was up 1.9 percent and Malayan Bank was up 0.5 percent.