Friday, July 30, 2010

Trader's Highlight

DJI-NEW YORK, July 29 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks sagged in volatile trading on Thursday after weak outlooks from technology companies and downbeat comments from a Federal Reserve official gave investors little reason to buy.

The market has struggled to make headway this week. The S&P 500 fell for a third straight day and has run into resistance around its 200-day moving average as investors searched for a catalyst to take stocks higher.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> dropped 30.72 points, or 0.29 percent, to 10,467.16. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> dropped 4.59 points, or 0.41 percent, to 1,101.54. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> dropped 12.87 points, or 0.57 percent, to 2,251.69.

NYMEX-NEW YORK, July 29 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil prices rose on Thursday, breaking a string of two straight lower finishes, as a broadly weaker dollar and positive euro zone and German economic data provided lift.

Crude oil prices rose despite a seesaw day that saw U.S. equities on Wall Street end lower.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, September crude rose $1.37, or 1.78 percent, to settle at $78.36 a barrel, trading from $76.45 to $78.89.

CBOT-CHICAGO, July 29 (Reuters) - Chicago Board of Trade grain and soy complex close on Thursday.

CBOT-SOYBEANS - August up 16-1/4 cents at $10.26-3/4 per bushel; new-crop November up 10 at $9.88. Brisk U.S. export sales of soy, soaring wheat and concerns about cuts in canola and rapeseed production due to harsh weather this year in Canada and Europe combine to lift soybean futures.

CBOT-SOYOIL - August up 0.43 cent at 39.27 cents per lb. Following soybeans higher; strength in crude oil adds support.

PALM-JAKARTA, July 29 (Reuters) - Malaysian crude palm oil rose 1.1 percent on Thursday on concerns that weather uncertainty on grains crops wordwide would curb global vegetable oil supplies in the medium term.

Asian traders are watching the impact of drought conditions on the European rapeseed crop which may limit oilseed crushing and support vegetable oil markets.

Palm oil gains were also underpinned by concerns that hot weather may stunt soy pod setting in the United States.

The benchmark October contract on Bursa Malaysia's Derivatives Exchange rose 19 ringgit or 0.76 percent to 2,514 ringgit ($789.8) a tonne. Overall volumes rose to 14,136 lots of 25 tonnes each from the usual 10,000 lots.

REGIONAL EQUITIES-COLOMBO, July 20 (Reuters) - Indonesia's stock market ended at a closing high on Tuesday, earlier nearing the intraday peak scaled in May on demand for bank shares, but regional investors were cautious after mixed results from the U.S. tech sector.

Indonesia <.JKSE>, Southeast Asia's best performer with a return of 18.2 percent this year, closed 0.7 percent firmer, Malaysia <.KLSE> gained 0.3 percent and Singapore <.FTSTI> rose 0.1 percent.

In Singapore, Golden Agri rose 1.8 percent and Singapore Airlines gained 0.6 percent.