Breaking News-RTRS-MALAYSIA PM NAJIB SAYS TIME TO REVIEW IMPLEMENTATION OF AFFIRMATIVE ACTION POLICIES

March 30 (Reuters) -: * Malaysia pm najib says time to review implementation of affirmative action policies * Malaysia pm najib says social support to be based on needs not race * Malaysia pm najib says employees provident fund to be allowed to invest more assets offshore * Malaysia pm najib says epf overseas investment to rise significantly from 6pct of total * Malaysia to list stakes in two petronas units -pm

Breaking News-RTRS-UPDATE 1-Malaysia PM unveils economic reforms

KUALA LUMPUR, March 30 (Reuters) - Malaysia's prime minister on Tuesday unveiled long-promised economic reforms that he said would make this Southeast Asian country a developed nation by 2020 but he provided few clues as to how he would get there.
Najib Razak's "New Economic Model" said Malaysia would grow by 6.5 percent a year from 2011 to 2020 so as to be able to join the club of developed nations. He pledged to cut the budget deficit and introduce new taxes to do so.

Breaking News-RTRS-Unilever: No plans to cut palm oil supply ties with IOI

KUALA LUMPUR, March 29 (Reuters) - Consumer goods giant Unilever said it would not cancel palm oil supply contracts with Malaysia's IOI and that it was confident the planter would address concerns over logging forests raised by a green group.
IOI Corp, Malaysia's No. 2 planter, had dismissed the report by Friends of the Earth that it cleared rainforests on Borneo island to expand, saying the allegations were inaccurate.

Breaking News-RTRS-Malaysian palm prices to rise, output lower-Mistry

LONDON, March 29 (Reuters) - Malaysian crude palm oil futures prices look set to rise, possibly by more than 25 percent, with a second consecutive decline in production anticipated this year, a top analyst said on Monday.

Breaking News-RPT-Grains Week Ahead - USDA data to set market tone

CHICAGO, March 28 (Reuters) - The U.S. government on Wednesday will issue its first survey-based estimates of how many acres of corn and soybeans farmers will plant this spring. Traders say there will be more of both than in 2009. In fact, they expect corn acres to be the second-largest in 65 years, with a record high for soy.
The report could signal prospects of back-to-back seasons of mammoth crops from theworld's top grower and exporter of corn and soybeans, and provide key trading signals not only to the Chicago Board of Trade but grain markets across the globe.

Breaking News-RTRS-ANALYSIS-Argentine strike keeps CBOT soy spread on the boil

CHICAGO, March 29 (Reuters) - The combination of an expanding port strike in Argentina and tight supplies of old-crop U.S. soybeans looks set to keep Chicago Board of Trade soybean and soymeal spreads on the boil this week.
The spread, or price difference, between the nearby May CBOT soybean futures contract and the deferred November contract settled Monday at 42 cents, premium May, its widest point in nearly three months.

FKLI Daily: May challenge recent high at 1337 levels.

Market continue to inch higher and looks may want to challenge the recent high at 1337 levels. To the downside, support is pegged at 1310-1300.

CBOT Soyoil Daily: in Consolidation phase

Market still in consolidation phase following prices found some immediate support at USc39.00. Upside resistance is pegged at USc40.30-40.60 followed by USc41.00

Trader's Highlight

DJI-NEW YORK, March 29 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks rose on Monday as miners and energy companies advanced on dollar weakness and investors bought recent high fliers as the quarter's end approached.

The dollar's decline boosted commodities prices, including crude oil. Exxon Mobil Corp was up 1.1 percent to $67.30 and the S&P energy index <.GSPE> rose 1.8 percent.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> rose 45.50 points, or 0.42 percent, to 10,895.86 -- it's highest close since September 2008. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> climbed 6.63 points, or 0.57 percent, to 1,173.22. The Nasdaq Composite
Index <.IXIC> jumped 9.23 points, or 0.39 percent, to 2,404.36.

NYMEX-NEW YORK, March 29 (Reuters) - U.S. crude futures ended higher on Monday for the first time in four sessions, supported by a weaker dollar, higher equity prices and data showing consumer spending rising for the fifth straight month.

Some analysts also cited geopolitical worries arising from a suicide bombing that killed at least 38 people on packed Moscow metro trains on Monday.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, May crude closed up $2.17, or 2.71 percent, at $82.17 a barrel, trading from $80.18 to $82.78. The day's percentage gain was the highest for a day since prices ended up 3.89 percent Feb. 16.

CBOT-CHICAGO, March 29 (Reuters) - Chicago Board of Trade grains and soy complex close on Monday.

CBOT-SOYBEANS - May up 15-1/2 cents at $9.67-1/2 per bushel. Market climbs on weak dollar, higher crude oil and concerns about ability of Argentina to ship soybeans due to spreading labor protests.


CBOT-SOYOIL - May up 0.32 cent at 39.27 cents per lb. Firm crude oil, higher soy and weak dollar combine to lift soyoil futures.

FCPO-KUALA LUMPUR, March 29 (Reuters) - Malaysia palm oil futures fell to seven-week lows on Monday due to the stronger ringgit currency against the dollar and expectations of weak export growth this month.

Palm oil futures have lost 5.4 percent so far this year on expectations of a bumper South American soybean crop and volatility in foreign exchange markets.

Benchmark June crude palm oil futures on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange settled down 14 ringgit, or 0.55 percent, at 2,520 ringgit ($762.5) after going as low as 2,510 ringgit -- a level not seen since Feb. 8.

REGIONAL EQUITIES-BANGKOK, March 29 (Reuters) - Indonesia's stock market ended lower on Monday as bank shares fell prey to profit-taking, while Thai stocks fell for a third session as worries grew over anti-government protests in the capital.

The region overall was mixed, with Singapore and Malaysia posting small gains while the Philippines and Vietnam were flat.

Singapore's index <.FTSTI> rose for a third day, adding 0.8 percent, led by big caps and banking stocks. Singapore Telecoms rose 2.2 percent, Oversea Chinese Banking Corp gained 1.3 percent and United Overseas Bank climbed 1 percent.

In Kuala Lumpur, the index extended its gains into a fifth session, finishing 0.3 percent higher, led by Malayan Banking and Axiata Group , which rose about 1 percent each.

NYMEX Crude Daily: More strength is still needed

Market rebounded sharply to draw a long white candle had improved a little the immediate technical outlook. However, more strength is still needed in order to change the current outlook to look more positively. Thus, market may consolidate and move in the range of upside at USD83.16-83.95 to the downside at USD78.57.

FCPO Daily: 2500 able to defend?

Immediate technical landscape dampened further following market continue to lose ground and fully cover the downside gap left over at 2528-2523. Thus, market looks may continue to move sideways to lower in near term. As for now, we continue to look for the upside resistance at 2595-2600. While, immediate downside support is lies at 2500 followed by 2470-2462 (gap left over since 3/2/2010).