Gold and silver futures rose Thursday after data showed a big increase in claims for U.S. unemployment benefits, raising economic worries and increasing the precious metals' value as a safe asset. Copper fell for a fourth session. Gold for June delivery gained 80 cents, or 0.1%, to $893.30 an ounce, while May silver gained 10 cents, or 0.8%, to $12.405 an ounce. May copper lost 1 cent, or 0.5%, to $2.049 a pound. Thursday's gain in gold followed its 1% advance in the previous session as gloomy earnings reports from Morgan Stanley and Boeing reinforced economic worries. "Demand for safe-haven assets bolstered" precious metals, said James Moore, a precious metals analyst at TheBullionDesk.com. "The key now is whether gold can clear and close above $900 an ounce, which if successful would break the current downtrend and open the way to re-test $940." "Failure [to rise above $900] would prompt further stale liquidation," he added. June gold has been trading below the $900 level since the beginning of the month. First-time claims for state unemployment benefits rose a seasonally adjusted 27,000 to 640,000 in the week ended April 18, the Labor Department reported Thursday. For the week ended April 11, the number of people collecting state unemployment benefits reached another new record of 6.14 million. The global economy is set to decline by 1.3% in 2009, the International Monetary Fund said in a report earlier this week. The UK will see its economy shrink by 4.1%, Japan by 6.2%, and the U.S. economy is expected to decline by 2.8%, the IMF said. Holdings in SPDR Gold Trust

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