BUENOS AIRES, March 12 (Reuters) - Argentine stocks slipped on Wednesday due to profit-taking on shares with high liquidity amid overall weakness in regional markets, traders said.

The benchmark MerVal index <.MERV> closed down 0.48 percent to 2,134.14 points, in choppy trade, after ending 2.08 percent higher on Tuesday.

"It was a quiet session in which the MerVal followed the trend in external markets and investors took profits in shares such as Tenaris and Ledesma," said Guido Macchi, a broker at Julio Macchi brokerage.

The MerVal was pressured by Wall Street's slip, as euphoria abated over the U.S. Federal Reserve's effort to ease strained credit markets and oil topped $110 a barrel.

The session's losses were led by index heavyweight Tenaris <TENA.BA>, a top global producer of steel tubes for the natural gas and oil industry, which fell 0.45 percent to 78.25 pesos per share, and agricultural firm and paper-maker Ledesma <LED.BA>, which sank 3.17 percent to 5.8 pesos.

In the broad market, volume was a moderate $30.7 million. Of the active issues, 39 declined, 23 advanced and 20 ended unchanged.

Meanwhile, government debt prices <AR/BONOS> fell 0.3 percent on average. Prices were mixed with the peso-denominated Par bond jumping 2.4 percent in over-the-counter trade, while the same paper denominated in dollars shed 1.3 percent.

The peso closed stable at 3.1500/3.1525 per dollar <ARS=RASL> in formal interbank trade, where the central bank normally intervenes.

In informal trade between foreign exchange houses, as measured by Reuters, the peso <ARSB=> also remained unchanged at 3.1700/3.1725 per dollar. (Reporting by Walter Bianchi and Jorge Otaola; Writing by Gaspard Sebag; Editing by Leslie Adler) (([email protected]; +54 11 4318 0663; Reuters Messaging: [email protected])) Keywords: MARKETS ARGENTINA