Trader's Highlight

DJI-NEW YORK, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Wall Street stocks tumbled on Friday, with major indexes falling as much as 2 percent as data showed U.S. jobs growth flatlined in August, exacerbating worries the economy is faltering.

Nonfarm payrolls generated no new jobs last month as sagging consumer confidence discouraged already skittish businesses from hiring, keeping pressure on the U.S. Federal Reserve to provide more monetary stimulus to the economy.

The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI dropped 180.88 points, or 1.57 percent, to 11,312.69. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index .SPX fell 21.17 points, or 1.76 percent, to 1,183.25. The Nasdaq Composite Index .IXIC lost 40.18 points, or 1.58 percent, to 2,505.86.

NYMEX-NEW YORK, Sept 2 (Reuters) - U.S. crude futures fell on Friday ahead of August jobs data from the United States and as tropical weather coupled with the potential for a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico kept some energy production shut.

U.S. stock index futures fell ahead of labor market data expected to underscore fears the economy is headed for another recession and as concerns about the euro zone debt crisis resurfaced.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, October crude CLV1 fell $1.16, or 1.3 percent, to $87.77 a barrel by 8:15 a.m. EDT (1215 GMT), trading from $87.73 to $88.99.

CBOT-SOYBEANS-Soybean futures on the Chicago Board of Trade rallied on Friday on concerns about the size of the U.S. soy and corn crops, and posted a fourth consecutive weekly advance.

Strength in CBOT corn led the grains and oilseeds complex higher. Short-covering after Thursday's sell-off added support. Rally limited by a drop in U.S. equities and crude oil following a U.S jobs report that led to more concern about the health of the economy.

FCPO-JAKARTA, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Malaysian palm oil futures rose 1.4 percent on Friday, boosted by gains in other vegetable oils while the market was closed for a holiday, but worries about the health of the global economy put a cap on prices.

At the close, the benchmark November crude palm oil contract KPOc3 was at 3,050 Malaysian ringgit ($1,022) a tonne. It had earlier touched 3,069 ringgit, its highest since Aug. 23.

Traded volumes for the contract were still thin at 6,215 lots of 25 tonnes each, although recovered from 2,862 lots on Monday, before many markets closed for the Muslim feast of Eid-ul-Fitr and other holidays.

REGIONAL EQUITIES-BANGKOK, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Singapore and Thailand edged lower on Friday as banks fizzled following recent gains and resource shares fell in line with weak oil prices ahead of U.S. jobs data that could provide a glimpse into the health of global economy.

Losses in Singapore and Thailand came in light volume, with market turnover in each well below monthly averages and investors reluctant to increase positions.

Despite flagging sentiment, the region ended the week strongly after month-end buying and as funds re-entered after sell-offs in August on hopes of strong consumption.

Among outperformers, Singapore's Straits Times Index .FTSTI posted a 3.5 percent gain on the week, its biggest since March and Southeast Asia's second-best, trailing Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange index .VNI, which surged 7.6 percent, the region's best.

Stocks in Malaysia .KLSE jumped almost 2 percent on Friday upon resuming trade after a 3-1/2 day break, as Kuala Lumpur caught up with a regional rally. Financial stock CIMB CIMB.BK surged 4.7 percent.