ND: Crude Prices Little Changed as Investors Await U.S. Jobs Data
Crude oil prices were little changed as investors await data showing the U.S. non-farm payrolls for August, a closely watched indicator of economic strength, due out on Friday.
An increase in employment may mean improved demand for oil. Analysts expect 230,000 jobs were added in August and unemployment fell to 6.1%. An increase above 200,000 would be the seventh straight month seeing such expansion.
Futures regained some strength after the European Central Bank on Thursday cut interest rates, weakening the euro against the dollar. When the greenback strengthens, that effectively makes dollar-backed commodities more expensive globally.
West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures for October delivery fell less than 0.1% to $94.39 a barrel in New York.
Brent crude futures for October delivery also fell less than 0.1%, to $101.79 a barrel.
