Trader's Highlight

DJI-NEW YORK, Aug 10 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell on Tuesday but closed off their lows after the Federal Reserve said it would take new steps to counter a weak recovery.

The Dow, which was down about 100 points before the Fed's announcement, briefly turned positive, though buying interest waned on the Fed's more pessimistic assessment of the economy.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was down 54.50 points, or 0.51 percent, at 10,644.25. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was down 6.73 points, or 0.60 percent, at 1,121.06. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was down 28.52 points, or 1.24 percent, at 2,277.17.

NYMEX-NEW YORK, Aug 10 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil futures ended lower on Tuesday but trimmed losses near the close after the Federal Reserve said it will stick to its low-interest policy for an extended period in a move to support the faltering economic recovery.

Earlier, crude futures fell below $80 on data showing a falloff in China's July crude imports and as the dollar rose.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, September crude settled down $1.23, or 1.5 percent, at $80.25 a barrel, trading from $79.20 to $81.62.

CBOT-CHICAGO, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Chicago Board of Trade grain and soy complex close on Tuesday.

CBOT-SOYBEANS - August down 12-1/4 cents at $10.36-1/4 per bushel; new-crop November down 13 cents at $10.22. Soybean futures dropped on spillover from falling wheat and despite news from USDA of more sales of U.S. soy to China.

CBOT-SOYOIL - August down 0.26 cent at 41.46 cents per lb. Following soybeans and spillover pressure from lower crude oil.

FCPO-KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Malaysian crude palm oil futures fell on Tuesday from a 15-month high as investors took profits on lower overseas demand and weaker soyoil markets after a string of palm oil data pointed to a possible stock rise.

Although Malaysia's July palm oil stocks fell to its lowest in one year, weaker exports for the first 10 days of August suggest a stock-build up may be on the cards.

The benchmark October crude palm oil contract on Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange fell 2.2 percent or 60 ringgit at 2,670 ringgit ($850.3). The same contract touched over one-year high at 2,736 ringgit the previous day. Overall traded volume almost doubled to 18,007 lots of 25 tonnes each.

REGIONAL EQUITIES-BANGKOK, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Southeast Asian stock markets fell on Tuesday on caution ahead of a U.S. Federal Reserve meeting, with Thai stocks sliding to their lowest in a week and Indonesia snapping a four-day gain.

Thailand's main index <.SETI>, which had recorded thirteen consecutive gains to 26-month highs until Monday, lost 1.5 percent while Indonesia <.JKSE> slid 0.8 percent after approaching a record high set on July 30.

Singapore <.FTSTI> and Malaysia <.KLSE> posted smaller losses but Vietnam <.VNI> dropped 2.3 percent to a seven-month low. The Philippines <.PSI> bucked the trend, adding 0.3 percent, hovering around 2-1/2-year highs.

In Singapore, the biggest developer, CapitaLand , eased 0.7 percent and top lender DBS Group fell 0.8 percent.

Singapore's index, which fell to 2,984.29 on Tuesday, might still reach 3,000 this week because positive second-quarter GDP numbers reflected the strength of Asian economies, with China an important engine for demand, said David Cohen, an economist at Action Economics.