--Employment figures in the euro zone jump the most since the financial meltdown in 2008 for the three months to June --Goldman Sachs report says commodity prices will stay elevated --Traders look to U.S. manufacturing and job market statistics By Jenny Gross Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES LONDON (Dow Jones)--Crude prices spiked Thursday buoyed by the upbeat euro zone employment data and bullish Goldman Sachs commodities forecast. At 1041 GMT, the October Brent contract on London's ICE futures exchange was up $2.15 cents, or 1.9%, at $114.55 a barrel. The October contract on the New York Mercantile Exchange was trading up 41 cents at $89.32 per barrel. Oil futures tracked European equities, after the employment data showed that during the three months to June, the number of people in work in the euro zone rose at the fastest pace since the onset of the global financial crisis in 2008. The data are positive for oil markets since more people working could help boost consumer spending, one of the main driver of economic growth. Crude prices were also supported after Goldman Sachs analysts said commodity prices would stay elevated in the medium-to-long term due to emerging-market demand and supply-side disruptions. The Goldman Sachs analysts said at a news conference Thursday morning that they needed to see a "more recessionary" environment before downgrading their view of the commodities market. Adding further support to oil prices and European equities, investors honed in on positive words from French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on debt-laden Greece. The leaders said Wednesday that they were determined to keep Greece in the euro zone, easing market concerns. With a slew of major economic figures expected Thursday, such as U.S. manufacturing and job market statistics, Thina Saltvedt, a senior oil analyst at Nordea Bank Norge, said it is unclear whether price support will hold. "If it is positive or negative is anyone's guess but the crude oil market is likely to react accordingly," said a note by Filip Petersson, a commodity strategist at SEB. Despite tight fundamentals that are keeping Brent prices elevated, the unfolding European debt crisis can reverse the markets in minutes, Petersson said. Andrey Kryuchenkov, an analyst at VTB Capital, said crude-oil futures over the next several days are expected to trade sideways ahead of the two-day meeting of the U.S. Federal Reserve's Federal Open Market Committee on interest rate policy next week. At 1041 GMT, the ICE's gasoil contract for October delivery was up $25.50 at $947.50 per metric ton, while Nymex gasoline for October delivery was 337 points higher at $2.7595 per gallon. -By Jenny Gross, Dow Jones Newswires; 4420-7842-9239; jenny.gross@dowjones.com

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