By Laura Mandaro
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Oil futures rallied at the start of U.S. floor trading Thursday, picking up speed after a Labor Department report showed a drop in jobless claims last week to under 400,000, and alongside a surge in U.S. stocks. Gold futures also edged higher, while copper futures lagged. Oil for November delivery CL1X +2.82% gained $2.54, or 3.1%, to $83.80 a barrel. December gold GC1Z +0.12% added $3.80, or 0.2%, to $1,621.80 an ounce. Copper futures HG1Z -0.20% lagged, traded flat at $3.24 a pound. The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA +2.23% was up 222 points, or 2%, at 11,233, getting an added lift from Germany's vote to approve an expanded euro-zone rescue fund.
