Trader's Highlight

DJI-NEW YORK, July 1 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell on Thursday as manufacturing and labor market data heightened fears of a double-dip recession before Friday's key employment report.

Major indexes were lower for a fourth straight day after suffering their worst quarter since late 2008, but losses eased near the end of the session.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> dropped 41.49 points, or 0.42 percent, to 9,732.53. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> shed 3.33 points, or 0.32 percent, to 1,027.38. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> lost 7.88 points, or 0.37 percent, to 2,101.36.

NYMEX-NEW YORK, July 1 (Reuters) - U.S. crude futures ended at a three-week low on Thursday, extending losses for four consecutive days, as weak economic data from China and the United States added to worries over the global economic recovery and oil demand.

Front-month crude's loss for the day was the biggest single day percentage drop in almost a month and came after prices on Wednesday posted the first quarterly loss since the tumultuous fourth quarter of 2008.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, August crude settled down $2.68, or 3.54 percent, at $72.95, the lowest settlement since June 8's $71.99. It traded from $72.05, lowest intraday since June 8's intraday low of $70.75, to $75.40.

CBOT-CHICAGO, July 1 (Reuters) - Chicago Board of Trade grain and soy complex close on Thursday.

CBOT-SOYMEAL - July up $2.10 per ton at $291.50 per ton. Following soybeans and soymeal/soyoil spreading.

CBOT-SOYOIL - July down 0.41 cent per lb at 35.87 cents per lb. Pressure from lower crude oil and meal/oil spreading.

FCPO-KUALA LUMPUR, July 1 (Reuters) - Malaysian crude palm oil futures fell more than 1 percent on Thursday, tracking volatile crude oil and equity markets, on signs China's economic growth was slowing.

Investors gave stocks and commodities a wide berth on Thursday on mounting worries about the strength of the global economic recovery after manufacturing data showed China's rapid growth was slowing.

Benchmark September crude palm oil contract on Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange fell 27 ringgit at 2,346 ringgit ($729.5) a tonne. The same contract hit a lowest point since Nov. 17, 2009 at 2,338 ringgit the previous day. Overall traded volume stood at 13,224 lots of 25 tonnes, well above the usual 10,000 lots.

REGIONAL EQUITIES-BANGKOK, July 1 (Reuters) - Indonesian shares fell more than 1 percent on Thursday with investors fearing higher-than-expected inflation might bring an interest rate rise sooner rather than later, while other markets also started the third quarter weakly.

Indonesia's inflation picked up in June to its highest since May 2009, but was still within a central bank year-end forecast range, reinforcing expectation the bank will keep rates steady when it meets on Monday.

Singapore <.FTSTI>, Southeast Asia's worst performer in the second quarter, fell 0.5 percent, Malaysia <.KLSE> eased 0.4 percent, and Vietnam <.VNI>, the region's smallest bourse, was off 0.6 percent.

In Singapore, CapitaLand , Southeast Asia's biggest developer, eased 0.3 percent and United Overseas Bank , Singapore's third-biggest lender, was down 0.6 percent.

In Kuala Lumpur, Sime Darby, Malaysia's No.2 company by market value, fell 2.6 percent, and in Manila, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co (PLDT) , the country's largest listed firm, fell 1.3 percent.