Friday, November 11, 2011

Trader's Highlight

DJI-NEW YORK, Nov 10 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks, crude oil and the euro rebounded on Thursday, a day after a massive sell-off, as fears eased that the euro zone might break up and Italy was able to sell its debt at auction, albeit at a high cost.

Although Italy showed it can fund itself, European shares fell in choppy trade and gold prices fell as uncertainties over the selection of a new Italian leader unsettled investors.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> closed up 112.92 points, or 0.96 percent, at 11,893.86. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> rose 10.60 points, or 0.86 percent, at 1,239.70. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> gained 3.50 points, or 0.13 percent, at 2,625.15.

NYMEX-NEW YORK, Nov 10 (Reuters) - U.S. crude futures rose more than 2 percent on Thursday on supportive economic data from the United States and investor perception that some progress was being made in efforts to resolve Italy's debt problems.

Italy moved closer to a national unity government, following Greece's lead in seeking a respected veteran technocrat to pilot painful economic reforms in an effort to avert a euro zone bond market meltdown.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, December crude rose $2.04, or 2.13 percent, to settle at $97.78 a barrel, having traded from $95.20 to $98.35, the highest level for front-month crude since prices reached $98.60 on Aug. 1.

CBOT-SOYBEANS, Soybean futures on the Chicago Board of Trade fell for a second day, setting a fresh one-month low as a sluggish pace of U.S. export sales prompted traders to liquidate long positions, brokers said.

USDA reported export sales of U.S. soybeans in the latest week at 606,800 tonnes (new and old crop years combined), slightly above trade estimates for 400,000 to 600,000.

FCPO-KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Malaysian palm oil futures climbed to a three month high on Thursday after a surprise stock draw that prompted investors to focus on prospects of erratic weather later this year hurting production.

Malaysia's government reported a 1.6 percent decline in stocks on the back of strong exports offsetting output, reinforcing concerns that supply will get tighter when monsoon season and La Nina rains curb harvesting in the last quarter.

Benchmark January palm oil futures on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange settled up 2.8 percent to 3,119 Malaysian ringgit after going as high as 3,130 ringgit -- a level unseen since Aug 3 this year.

REGIONAL EQUITIES-BANGKOK, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Southeast Asian stock markets faltered on Thursday amid sell-offs across Asia as a surge in Italy's borrowing costs fuelled anxiety about the future of the euro, with weak earnings from commodities firms helping drag Singapore down to a one-week low.

Indonesia made a larger-than-expected rate cut on Thursday to support economic growth but its stock market still fell nearly 2 percent.

Singapore's Straits Times Index <.FTSTI> was the biggest loser, falling as much as 3.4 percent at one stage and ending down 2.5 percent.

Stocks in Malaysia <.KLSE> fell 1.1 percent, with retail investors dominating the market, a Kuala Lumpur-based trader said. The Philippines <.PSI> dipped 1.4 percent and Vietnam <.VNI> eased 1 percent. Thailand <.SETI> ended flat.