Trader's Highlight

DJI-NEW YORK, July 27 (Reuters) - The S&P snapped a three-day winning streak on Tuesday after mixed earnings reports and a fall in consumer confidence, but analysts said U.S. stocks were taking a breather and the rally could pick back up.

Solid earnings from Dow component DuPont and Cummins Inc cheered investors, but that was offset by gloomy comments from steelmakers, including U.S. Steel Corp and AK Steel Holding Corp .

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> added 12.26 points, or 0.12 percent, to 10,537.69. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> dipped 1.17 points, or 0.10 percent, to 1,113.84. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> shed 8.18 points, or 0.36 percent, to close at 2,288.25.

NYMEX-NEW YORK, July 27 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil futures fell 1.87 percent on Tuesday as a report showing consumer confidence fell in July weighed on oil and across financial markets.

The Conference Board's consumer confidence index fell in July to 50.4 from a upwardly revised 54.3 in June, the lowest reading in five months, the private business research group reported on Tuesday.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, September crude fell $1.48, or 1.87 percent to settle at $77.50 a barrel, trading from $76.79 to $79.69.

CBOT-CHICAGO, July 27 (Reuters) - Chicago Board of Trade grain and soy complex close on Tuesday.

CBOT-SOYBEANS - August down 1/4 cent per bushel at $9.98. Good U.S. crop weather and strong condition ratings for the crop combined to weigh on market. Soybeans moved down from the day's highs when wheat backed off from early gains.

CBOT-SOYOIL - August down 0.24 cent per lb at 38.56. Downturn in crude oil weighs, in addition to pressure from meal/oil spreads.

FCPO-KUALA LUMPUR, July 27 (Reuters) - Malaysian crude palm oil closed half a percent higher on Tuesday, retracing last week's rally on technical corrections although it hit a intraday one-week low earlier in the session.

Concerns over a brewing La Nina weather event, which brings more rains to palm oil producing Southeast Asia and hotter weather to soybean growing U.S. and South America, boosted palm oil futures to a 10-week high last week.

The benchmark October contract on Bursa Malaysia's Derivatives Exchange rose 12 ringgit, or 0.5 percent, to 2,485 Malaysian ringgit, after going as low as 2,434, a level last touched on July 21. Overall volumes stood at 17,717 lots of 25 tonnes each.

REGIONAL EQUITIES-BANGKOK, July 27 (Reuters) - Thai stocks hit 26-month highs on Tuesday as optimism over the economy spurred buying in banking stocks despite a renewed political worries after a deadly weekend bomb blast in central Bangkok.

The bomb at a Bangkok bus stop, which killed one person and wounded at least 10, had less impact on market sentiment than feared. The blast took place shortly after polls closed in a toughly fought by-election, the first electoral test since the end of the anti-government protests.

Singapore <.FTSTI> closed 0.4 percent higher, hovering at 3-month highs, Malaysia <.KLSE> was nearly flat, after earlier touching 29-month highs, and Indonesia <.JKSE> rose 0.6 percent, coming off a fresh all-time high hitting on Monday.

Singapore Airlines , the world's second-largest airline by market value, rose 1.8 percent after it reported better-than-expected first quarter net profit and analysts upgraded its target price. [ID:nSGE66Q03H]

Kuala Lumpur's reporting season also supported financial firms. Broker Hwang-DBS said it expected the second-quarter net profit at Malaysian banks to grow as net interest margins should pick up following the previous two central bank's overnight policy rate hikes.

Maybank inched up 0.13 percent. The bank said on Tuesday it expected to see a 50 percent rise in the value of its investment banking deals this year as the stable global economy galvanises fund-raising activities, the head of its investment banking arm said.