Palm | Kelapa Sawit

DJI-NEW YORK, May 24 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks slid on Monday, driving the Dow to its lowest level since Feb. 10 as fresh signs of Europe's banking problems emerged. The euro zone's turbulence kept investors wary of taking on risk, after the S&P 500's 4.2 percent drop last week.

Financial shares were among the day's largest decliners, with the KBW Bank index <.BKX> falling 3.3 percent. Wells Fargo fell 4.7 percent to $28.71 after Goldman Sachs cut its rating on the stock to "neutral" from "buy."

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> dropped 126.82 points, or 1.24 percent, to 10,066.57. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> slipped 14.04 points, or 1.29 percent, to 1,073.65. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> fell 15.49 points, or 0.69 percent, to 2,213.55.

NYMEX-NEW YORK, May 24 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil futures edged higher on Monday, regaining some ground after falling eight of the nine previous sessions, on bargain hunting even though euro zone worries persisted.

Technically, traders said front month crude futures appeared to have gathered support at $70 a barrel, following a recent wave of liquidations that put the market in oversold territory.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, crude for July delivery settled up 17 cents, or 0.24 percent, at $70.21 a barrel. In choppy trading, it moved from $69.57 to $70.96.

CBOT-CHICAGO, May 24 (Reuters) - Chicago Board of Trade grain and soy complex close on Monday.

CBOT-SOYBEANS - July down 1/2 cent at $9.40-1/2 per bushel; new-crop November up 8 at $9.15-1/2. July ends weak down when it fails to convincingly penetrate above resistance at its 10-day moving average. Unwinding of bull-spreads weighs on nearbys and supports deferred months. Slow farmer selling, firm cash and persistent talk of soy orders switched from South America to the U.S. underpins soy complex.

CBOT-SOYOIL - July up 0.56 cent at 37.52 cents per lb. Rallying on optimism for a U.S. House vote, possibly Tuesday, on reinstating the U.S. biodiesel subsidy.

FCPO-JAKARTA, May 24 (Reuters) - Malaysian palm oil futures barely moved on Monday as concerns over the euro zone debt crisis could hit world economic recovery offset expectations of robust export growth for the vegetable oil.

Downbeat financial markets overshadowed the launch of CME Group's palm oil futures <0#CPO:> although traders said it would take some time for investors to use the contract for trading price differences with rival U.S. soyoil <0#BO:>.

The benchmark August crude palm oil futures on Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange fell 0.04 percent percent, or 1 ringgit, to 2,490 ringgit ($825.9) a tonne on Monday. Overall traded volume was 6,019 lots of 25 tonnes each, far below the daily average of 10,000 lots.

REGIONAL EQUITIES-BANGKOK, May 24 (Reuters) - Thai stocks fell to their lowest
level in five weeks on Monday when the market reopened after a two-session break caused by political unrest, with retail and tourist sectors under pressure and foreigners continuing to sell.

Investors remained cautious over political risk despite the end of the "red shirt" protest in Bangkok, and the market was also catching up with other Asian bourses, which fell when Thai financial markets were closed last week.

Other Southeast Asian markets were mixed on the day, with Singapore <.FTSTI> up 0.8 percent but losing some of its early gain in line with the rest of the region as investors cut risk amid fears the euro zone debt crisis would hit world growth.

Thailand is Southeast Asia's cheapest bourse in terms of valuations, trading at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 10.4, after Vietnam's <.VNI> 11.0, the Philippines' <.PSI> 12.1, Singapore's <.FTSTI> 12.2, Indonesia's <.JKSE> 12.5 and Malaysia's <.KLSE> 13.0, according to Thomson Reuters Starmine.

In Kuala Lumpur, Sime Darby fell 3.3 percent on fears Malaysia's second-biggest company by market value may have to set aside more money for potential losses at its energy division.