MW: Crude, gold extend gains after U.S. jobless claims
By Moming Zhou
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Crude and gold futures extended their gains Thursday, as the dollar turned lower after government data showed a surprising advance in U.S. weekly jobless claims. The number of people filing claims for state unemployment benefits rose by 17,000 to a seasonally adjusted 474,000 in the week ended Dec. 5, the Labor Department said. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had expected initial claims to fall to about 450,000. After the data, January crude futures rose 0.8% to $71.22 a barrel, and February gold futures rose 0.8% to $1,129.50 an ounce.
