Thursday, August 26, 2010

Trader's Highlight

DJI-NEW YORK, Aug 25 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks staged a comeback on Wednesday, breaking a four-day losing streak by major indexes, as key technical support triggered bargain hunting that offset weak economic data.

The S&P 500 index had sagged as much as 1 percent after data showed new single-family home sales slumped to a record slow pace in July and orders for manufactured durable goods rose far less than anticipated.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> rose 19.61 points, or 0.20 percent, to 10,060.06. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> added 3.46 points, or 0.33 percent, to 1,055.33. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> gained 17.78 points, or 0.8percent, to 2,141.54.

NYMEX-NEW YORK, Aug 25 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil futures settled higher on Wednesday, bouncing off an 11-week low hit earlier in the day and snapping a five-day streak of lower settlements as the market shrugged off government data showing across-the-board rises in crude oil and product inventories.

The stock market also ended higher after a seesaw session, helping support crude prices.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, October crude rose 89 cents, or 1.24 percent, to settle at $72.52 a barrel, trading from $70.76 to $72.87, extending the high trade in post-settlement trading.

CBOT-CHICAGO, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Chicago Board of Trade grain and soy complex close on Wednesday.

CBOT-SOYBEANS - September up 1/2 cent at $10 per bushel, November unchanged at $9.99. Consolidation trade with some short-covering after Tuesday's drop lending support but a drop in wheat and the approach of an expected record-large U.S. soybean harvest also hangs over the market.

CBOT-SOYOIL - September down 0.34 cent at 39.14 cents per lb. Pressured as oil/meal spreads unwind.

FCPO-KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Malaysian crude palm oil futures dropped to one-month lows on Wednesday as slower overseas demand and concerns over the pace of global economic recovery weakened sentiment.

Palm oil fell for a second consecutive day after cargo surveyors reported declines for Malaysian exports during Aug 1-25 from a month ago.

The benchmark November crude palm oil contract dropped almost 1 percent, or 24 ringgit, to close at 2,486 ringgit ($791.4). The 2,486 ringgit level was last touched on July 28. Overall traded volume nearly tripled to 29,218 lots of 25 tonnes each.

REGIONAL EQUTIES-BANGKOK, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Indonesia's main share index climbed to a fresh all-time high on Wednesday as investors sought bargains from resource-related shares just as regional equities remained wary of a spate of worrying U.S. economic data.

Cautious investors cut positions in overbought markets, lopping 0.6 percent each off Thai stocks <.SETI> and Malaysian shares <.KLSE>. Economic optimism had pushed the Thai index to a 33-month high and Malaysia's index to a 2-½ year high.

Singapore <.FTSTI> gained 0.1 percent, reversing its early loss to a one-month low and ended its three-day loss. The Philippines <.PSI> gained 0.7 percent while Vietnam <.VNI> dropped 2.4 percent, extending losses for a third session and hitting its lowest since July 23, 2009.

Among bright spots in the region, Southeast Asia's largest telcom firm Singapore Telecommunications rose 1.3 percent as investors bought shares in companies whose earnings are more resilient in an economic downturn.

Singapore's 14-day RSI was 46.2, Indonesia's was 66.09 and Philippnes' was 59.56. Vietnam's 14-day RSI was 19.9 at the close, indicating the market is oversold.