* U.S. crude stocks fell more than expected last week-API * U.S. jobless claims rose last week, curbs oil prices * Coming up: EIA oil data, 11 a.m. EDT on Thursday NEW YORK, Sept 8 (Reuters) - U.S. crude futures seesawed near unchanged on Thursday in choppy trading ahead of weekly government oil inventory data expected to show stockpiles fell last week. Oil prices briefly moved lower after a report showed that U.S. jobless claims rose last week from a revised higher figure the previous period, remaining above the 400,000 level. [ID:nOAT004868] A separate report showed the U.S. trade deficit shrank more than expected in July as exports rose and the oil import price fell. [ID:nCLA8KE72E] U.S. stock futures extended losses after the data and major indexes fell at the open on Wall Street. [N] Oil investors awaited government oil inventory data after Wednesday's report from the industry group American Petroleum Institute showed U.S. crude stocks fell 3.0 million barrels last week. [API/S] Gasoline stocks fell only 871,000 barrels and distillate stockpiles rose 4.0 million barrels, the API said. Crude stocks were expected to be down 1.9 million barrels, with gasoline stocks down 1.7 million barrels and distillates unchanged, according to a Reuters survey of analysts ahead of the API report. [EIA/S] The weekly inventory report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration is due at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT) on Thursday. Also on Thursday, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will speak at 1:30 p.m. Eastern (1730 GMT) but is not expected to get out in front of an anticipated battle among Fed officials over monetary easing. [ID:nN1E7860OB] President Barack Obama's televised speech to Congress follows at 7 p.m. EDT (2300 GMT). The president is expected to propose tax cuts for middle-class households and businesses and new spending to repair infrastructure. [ID:nN1E786157] FUNDAMENTALS * On the New York Mercantile Exchange, October crude CLV1 rose 9 cents, or 0.1 percent, to $89.39 a barrel by 9:34 a.m. EDT (1334 GMT), trading from $88.59 to $90.11. * Tropical Storm Nate was over the Bay of Campeche, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. Located about 125 miles (200 km) west of Campeche, Mexico, on Thursday morning. It could become a hurricane by Friday, the NHC said. [ID:nL3E7K829Q] * Hurricane Katia, a Category 1 storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale, was passing between Bermuda and the U.S. East Coast, the NHC said. [ID:nL3E7K829P] * Tropical Storm Maria churned in the eastern Atlantic. [ID:nEMS1CD9BO] MARKETS NEWS * The euro fell to two-month lows against the dollar as European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet said growth risks in the euro zone economy have shifted to the downside. [USD/] * European stocks gave up some gains after the ECB announcement. [MKTS/GLOB] * Gold recovered some of Wednesday's 3 percent slide as bargain hunters entered the market and concerns over euro zone debt and U.S. growth raised bullion's safety premium. [GOL/] UPCOMING DATA/EVENTS * U.S. Energy Information Administration natural gas storage data at 10:30 a.m. EDT (1430 GMT) on Thursday. * U.S. Energy Information Administration oil inventory data at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT) on Thursday. 9:34 LAST NET PCT LOW HIGH CURRENT DAY AGO CHNG CHNG VOL VOL CLc1 89.39 0.05 0.1% 88.59 90.11 66,948 316,166 CLc2 89.59 0.04 0.0% 88.80 90.20 16,350 63,604 LCOc1 115.81 0.01 0.0% 114.74 116.27 84,927 193,492 RBc1 2.8969 -0.0111 -0.4% 2.8776 2.9155 8,775 56,161 RBc2 2.8480 -0.0126 -0.4% 2.8318 2.8669 8,721 30,885 HOc1 3.0591 -0.0165 -0.5% 3.0452 3.0781 8,698 64,524 HOc2 3.0683 -0.0173 -0.6% 3.0566 3.0879 4,024 17,503 * NYMEX crude oil for October CLc1 rose 5 cents to $89.39 a barrel by 9:34 a.m. in volume of 66,948 lots. (Reporting by Robert Gibbons; Editing by John Picinich)

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