COMMODITIES-Mostly down despite weaker dollar; soybeans tumble

* CRB down more than half pct despite weak dollar

* Soybeans see biggest drop in two weeks

* Oil down too, along with natgas, sugar and coffee

* Copper and gold up, but only slightly

By Barani Krishnan

NEW YORK, June 13 (Reuters) - Commodities were mostly lower
on Wednesday with soybeans dropping the most in two weeks in
reaction to favorable weather for the U.S. crop while crude oil
was pressured by plentiful global supplies.

The losses came despite the dollar's nearly half a percent
drop against the euro on optimism that the winner of Sunday's
Greek elections might keep Athens in the euro zone. A Financial
Times report suggesting growing openness among European leaders
to relax Greece's bailout terms also helped the single currency.

While a weaker dollar is usually supportive for commodities,
Wednesday's session showed the contrary for most raw materials
traded in the greenback.

The Thomson Reuters-Jefferies CRB index, a global
benchmark for commodities, settled down more than half a percent
after 13 of its 19 components finished in the red. Markets that
lost more than 1 percent each included soybeans, oil
, natural gas, raw sugar and arabica
coffee.

Copper and gold closed up, but only slightly.
[MET/L/

"Macroeconomic nervousness has a grip on the markets right
now", off-setting the benefits from a weaker dollar, said
Sterling Smith, agricultural analyst for Citigroup in Chicago.

New-crop corn and soybeans both posted significant losses
largely due to forecasts calling for beneficial rain in U.S.
Midwest crop areas. Worries about the struggling global economy
continued to also weigh on crops.

Corn on the CBOT was mixed with old-crop July up
8-1/2 cents, or 1.46 percent, at $5.92-1/2 per bushel, while
new-crop December tumbled 12 cents, or 2.3 percent, to
$5.10-1/2.

The front-month soybean futures on the Chicago Board of
Trade, July fell 26-3/4 cents, or nearly 2 percent, to
close at $14.08-1/4 a bushel, pressured by worries about the
economy. It was the oilseed's biggest percentage drop in a day
since May 31.

New-crop November soybeans were pressured by beneficial
forecasts and closed down 17-1/4 cents, or 1.29 percent, at
$13.19-3/4 per bushel.

Oil fluctuated in choppy trading before ending lower as
investors in energy markets nervously eyed the outcome of the
weekend elections in Greece and next week's OPEC policy meeting
in Vienna.

London's Brent crude settled a cent lower at $97.13
a barrel for its fifth consecutive drop after marking a fresh
16-month low. Brent has fallen 24 percent from its year high of
$128.40 hit in March.

New York-traded U.S. crude slid 70 cents to close at
$82.62 a barrel, its lowest settlement since Oct. 6 last year.
U.S. crude has dropped 25 percent from its year high of $110.55
also struck in March.

Oil prices initially rose on U.S. government data showing
domestic crude stockpiles down 191,000 barrels last week, for a
second straight week of declines.

The gains eventually faded on worries that there were still
plentiful supplies of oil both in the United States and outside
-- particularly if Europe's finances and its demand for the
basic materials that feed growth continued to weaken.

Analysts said traders also had doubts that price hawks
within OPEC, including Venezuela, will be able to convince main
producer Saudi Arabia to agree to cut oil production to defend
prices when the group meets in Vienna on Thursday.
Prices at 4:25 p.m. EDT (2025 GMT)

LAST/ NET PCT YTD

CLOSE CHG CHG CHG
US crude 82.60 -0.72 -0.9% -16.4%
Brent crude 97.21 0.07 0.1% -9.5%
Natural gas 2.185 -0.047 -2.1% -26.9%

US gold 1618.10 5.40 0.3% 3.3%
Gold 1618.19 8.69 0.5% 3.5%
US Copper 333.95 0.40 0.1% -2.8%

Dollar 82.133 -0.289 -0.4% 2.4%
CRB 269.290 -1.570 -0.6% -11.8%

US corn 592.50 8.50 1.5% -8.4%
US soybeans 1408.25 -26.75 -1.9% 17.5%
US wheat 616.00 0.00 0.0% -5.6%

US Coffee 152.50 -1.70 -1.1% -33.2%
US Cocoa 2257.00 8.00 0.4% 7.0%
US Sugar 19.92 -0.44 -2.2% -14.2%

US silver 28.941 -0.008 0.0% 3.7%
US platinum 1466.80 12.40 0.9% 4.4%
US palladium 622.00 -0.45 -0.1% -5.2%

(Editing by Bob Burgdorfer)