WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Crude oil futures fell Thursday, trimming strong recent gains as U.S. stocks were hammered.
Yesterday's hawkish comments from Federal Reserve officials spooked investors across many asset classes.
May WTI oil was down 87 cents, or 1.3%, to settle at $64.30/bbl.
Traders considered a modest uptick in first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits in the week ended March 17th.
The report said initial jobless claims edged up to 229,000, an increase of 3,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 226,000. Economists had expected jobless claims to dip to 225,000.
The Conference Board released a report on Thursday showing a bigger than expected increase by its index of leading U.S. economic indicators.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX