Trader's Highlight

DJI-NEW YORK, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Wall Street closed its best month in 20 years on a down note on Monday as the failure of trading firm MF Global Holdings Ltd and new worries about Europe's debt crisis hammered financial shares.

In a sign that Europe's woes were far from over, Italian and Spanish bond yields soared, prompting the European Central Bank to buy the debt, while shares of European banks came under heavy selling pressure.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> dropped 276.10 points, or 2.26 percent, to 11,955.01. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> fell 31.79 points, or 2.47 percent, to 1,253.30. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> lost 52.74 points, or 1.93 percent, to 2,684.41.

NYMEX-NEW YORK, Oct 31 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil futures ended lower for a second day in a row on Monday as investors trimmed holdings of risky assets after the dollar strengthened following Japan's intervention to curb the yen's gains.

But for October, crude futures finished more than 17 percent higher, the biggest monthly gain since May 2009, reflecting speculators' recent bullish bets as prices shifted to backwardation, in which the nearby contract is more expensive that outlying months -- usually a sign of tightening supplies.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, crude for December delivery fell 13 cents, or 0.14 percent, to settle at $93.13 a barrel, after trading between $91.36 and $93.80.

CBOT-SOYBEANS, Soybean futures on the Chicago Board of Trade closed lower on a strong dollar, falling equities and hesitant trading tied to the bankruptcy filing of futures broker MF Global.

U.S. export sales of soybeans have been dismal due to competition from Brazil. Some traders say the export season in Brazil could begin sooner in 2012, which could further depress demand for supplies from the United States.

FCPO-KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Malaysian palm oil futures dropped on Monday, sliding along with other commodities as the dollar jumped on Japanese intervention to weaken the yen, and on continuing caution over the state of the global economy.

The dollar jumped to a three-month high against the yen and was up 1.2 percent against a basket of currencies <.DXY> after the Japanese move.

Benchmark January palm oil futures on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange settled down 1.1 percent to 2,938 ringgit ($959.034). Last week prices hit 3,007, a level not seen since Sept. 22.

REGIONAL EQUITIES-BANGKOK, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Stocks in Indonesia and Singapore fell on Monday as investors locked in quick gains in market big-caps, showing their caution about the state of the global economy, but selective buying helped reverse losses elsewhere, including flood-hit Thailand.

Volume was low ahead of big events this week including central bank meetings, U.S. payroll data and a Group of 20 meeting that will be watched for coordinated efforts to stabilise financial markets.

Late selling sent Singapore's Straits Times Index <.FTSTI> 1.72 percent lower while Jakarta's Composite Index <.JKSE> ended down 1 percent. Malaysia <.KLSE> and Thailand <.SETI> erased early losses to post limited gains on the day.

Malaysia took in $63 million in inflows on Monday after $253 million last week while Indonesia reported $0.16 million in outflows after $253 million in inflows last week, Thomson Reuters and stock exchange data showed.

Among weak spots, Singapore's top lender, DBS Group Holdings Ltd , dropped 3.4 percent and Indonesian micro lender PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia Tbk eased 0.7 percent. Both had gained around 8 percent last week.

In Bangkok, investors picked commodity-related firms and stocks offering a high dividend yield, with the impact of the floods still fairly limited. Mobile operator Advanced Info Service Pcl hit a record high and coal miner Banpu Pcl gained 0.3 percent.