Palm | Kelapa Sawit

DJI-NEW YORK, July 11 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks suffered their worst day in nearly a month on Monday as concern about the stalemate in U.S. budget talks and growing debt problems in the euro zone prompted investors to hedge against further losses.

The S&P 500 dropped nearly 2 percent on concerns that Europe's debt crisis would spread to Italy. European officials were still struggling to solve Greece's fiscal problems as Italy's markets have been roiled by worry about its banks.

The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI was down 151.44 points, or 1.20 percent, at 12,505.76 at the close. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index .SPX was down 24.31 points, or 1.81 percent, at 1,319.49. The Nasdaq Composite Index .IXIC was down 57.19 points, or 2.00 percent, at 2,802.62.

NYMEX-NEW YORK, July 11 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil futures fell for a second straight session on Monday on renewed worries of a demand slowdown, as investors feared the euro zone debt crisis would hit Italy and China's crude oil imports fell in June.

The euro zone worries pushed the U.S. dollar higher against the euro, prompting risk aversion among commodities investors.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, U.S. crude for August delivery CLQ1 settled at $95.15 a barrel, down $1.05, or 1.09 percent, after trading between $94.14 and $96.75. It was the lowest settlement since July 1's close at $94.94

CBOT-SOYBEANS-Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures closed lower on a soaring dollar as well as plunging crude oil and equities due to renewed worries about the global economy.

Renewed concerns that Europe's debt crisis would spread, an increase in Chinese inflation and an impasse on budget talks in Washington converged to jolt investors after Friday's shockingly weak jobs report.

FCPO-KUALA LUMPUR, July 11 (Reuters) - Malaysia palm oil futures fell on Monday, weighed by stocks that hit an 18-month high last month and lacklustre exports.

But losses were limited thanks to firmer competing soyoil markets that gained on concerns that hotter weather in U.S. Midwest may affect the soy crop.

The benchmark September crude palm oil contract KPOc3 on Bursa Malaysia Derivatives fell 0.1 percent to 3,074 Malaysian ringgit ($1,027)a tonne, reversing gains made earlier in the day.

Overall traded volume was a tad lower at 18,760 lots of 25 tonnes each, compared to the usual 25,000 lots.

There could now be more selling pressure after Malaysian Palm Oil Board data showed Malaysia's June palm oil stocks climbed to an 18-month high of 2.05 million tonnes

REGIONAL EQUITIES-BANGKOK, July 11 (Reuters) - Southeast Asian stock markets retreated on Monday as investors cashed in gains in financials and big-caps after weak global economic data, including poor U.S. job figures, with caution ahead of interest rate decisions in Indonesia and Thailand underpinning the trend.

Volume was generally low. Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines all saw turnover fall short of their 30-day average.

Stocks in Malaysia .KLSE edged down 0.4 percent after climbing at one point to all-time highs. Indonesia .JKSE and the Philippines .PSI, which set record highs last week, drifted lower on the day.

Singapore .FTSTI fell 1.1 percent and Thai shares .SETI dropped 1.03 percent. The Thai market surged 4.5 percent last week and was Southeast Asia's best performer, helped by the initial reaction to a landslide election win by the opposition Puea Thai Party, which removed some political uncertainty.