* U.S. initial jobless claims rise, weigh on oil * Wall Street futures slump after jobless claims data * Coming up: EIA natgas data, 10:30 a.m. EDT Thursday NEW YORK, Aug 12 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil futures fell on Thursday on increasing worries over a faltering economic recovery and tepid oil demand, traders said. Crude oil futures fell Wednesday on a government report showing gasoline and distillate inventories rose more than expected last week amid weak demand, as well as news that the growth in Chinese investment and factory output slowed further in July. FUNDAMENTALS * On the New York Mercantile Exchange, September crude CLU0 fell $1.82, or 2.33 percent, to $76.20 a barrel by 9:07 a.m. EDT (1307 GMT), trading from $76.05 to $77.97. That $76.05 intraday low was the lowest front-month crude price since prices fell to $75.90 on July 28, according to Reuters data. * The number of people filing new claims for unemployment insurance unexpectedly rose in the latest week to its highest level in close to six months, a fresh signal of a weak jobs market. It was the second straight increase. [ID:nN11227633] * Higher oil prices pushed imported goods prices higher in July for the first time in three months, though at half the pace economists had expected, Labor Department data showed on Thursday. [ID:nN11227902] * The remnants of Tropical Depression Five were producing locally heavy rain and gusty winds Thursday morning as they move inland over Louisiana, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. The system had no chance of strengthening back into a depression, the NHC said. The NHC said a tropical wave nearing the eastern Caribbean Islands also had no chance of developing over the next 48 hours as it moved northwest. [ID:nN12272825] * Combined inventories of gasoline, diesel and kerosene held by China's top two oil firms were down 7.2 percent in July versus June, the fifth monthly decline in a row, due to firm domestic sales and higher exports, an industry official said on Thursday. [ID:nTOE67B02K] MARKETS * U.S. stock futures added to losses on the report that initial jobless claims unexpectedly rose. [.N] * The dollar trimmed gains versus the yen after the jobless claims report. The euro remained weaker versus the dollar and the dollar index .DXY also was higher. * Gold rebounded to $1,200 an ounce as it regained a safe-haven luster. [GOL/] ECONOMIC NEWS * U.S. Energy Information Administration reports U.S. natural gas storage data at 10:30 a.m. EDT. Analysts surveyed by Reuters forecast rise of 33 billion cubic feet. 9:07 LAST NET PCT LOW HIGH CURRENT DAY AGO CHNG CHNG VOL VOL CLc1 76.20 -1.82 -2.3% 76.05 77.97 83,136 385,854 CLc2 76.64 -1.85 -2.4% 76.50 78.43 29,522 156,440 LCOc1 75.78 -1.86 -2.4% 75.62 77.56 64,009 141,997 RBc1 1.9620 -0.0359 -1.8% 1.9580 1.9960 6,277 61,288 RBc2 1.9172 -0.0376 -1.9% 1.9143 1.9496 5,533 38,157 HOc1 2.0238 -0.0514 -2.5% 2.0214 2.0717 6,932 60,804 HOc2 2.0550 -0.0520 -2.5% 2.0524 2.1025 3,614 24,878 * NYMEX crude oil for September CLc1 fell $1.82 to $76.20 a barrel by 9:07 a.m. in volume of 83,136 lots. (Reporting by Robert Gibbons; Editing by John Picinich)

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