Trader's Highlight

DJI-NEW YORK, June 1 (Reuters) - Wall Street ended a four-day rally with its worst session since August on Wednesday and could suffer more losses in coming days as investors faced more signs the economic recovery is fading.

All 10 Standard & Poor's sectors ended more than 1 percent lower and all 30 stocks in the Dow industrials fell. Banks were the biggest decliners as the economic reports painted a glum picture for jobs and manufacturing.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was down 279.42 points, or 2.22 percent, at 12,290.37. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was down 30.66 points, or 2.28 percent, at 1,314.54. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was down 66.11 points, or 2.33 percent, at 2,769.19.

NYMEX-NEW YORK, June 1 (Reuters) - U.S. crude futures fell more than 2 percent on Wednesday as disappointing reports on private-sector employment and manufacturing reinforced concerns that slowing economic growth will curb petroleum demand.

The U.S. data arrived ahead of the May nonfarm payrolls report due on Friday. It followed news that European manufacturing growth slipped sharply and China's factories expanded in May at their slowest pace in at least nine months.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, July crude fell $2.41, or 2.35 percent, to settle at $100.29 a barrel.

CBOT-SOYBEANS - U.S. soybean futures on the Chicago Board of Trade closed higher on Wednesday on spillover support from corn and worries that poor weather could limit U.S. soybean plantings, traders said.

FCPO-KUALA LUMPUR, June 1 (Reuters) - Malaysian palm oil futures fell nearly 1 percent on Wednesday in choppy trading as weak technicals and sluggish external markets discouraged position-taking.

Palm oil, used in products ranging from shampoo to biofuels, gained almost 4 percent in May, after three straight monthly losses, but has fallen 11.3 percent so far in 2011.

The benchmark August crude palm oil contract on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange settled 33 ringgit lower to 3,360 ringgit ($1,116) a tonne. On Monday, the contract hit a more than two-month high. Overall traded volume slumped to 17,802 lots of 25 tonnes each from the usual 25,000 lots.

REGIONAL EQUITIES-BANGKOK, June 1 (Reuters) - Most Southeast Asian stock markets posted small gains on Wednesday, with regional big-caps climbing with foreign inflows, but investors remained cautious over the outlook for the global economy.

The region generally saw active sessions, with turnover of most bourses rising well above a 30-day average, led by Malaysia and Indonesia.

Stock indexes climbed to reach highs of more than a week at one point but finished lower due to late selling, with Singapore's main share index <.FTSTI> ending up 0.4 percent and Indonesia <.JKSE> eking out a slim gain.

Market investors are reassessing the outlook of Southeast Asian economies amid rising price pressure in the region and global uncertainty after weak U.S. economic data in recent weeks.