* U.S. jobless claims rise unexpectedly, weigh on oil
* OPEC won't meet unless oil rises above $100-delegate
* Coming up: NYMEX Feb crude options expire on Friday
NEW YORK, Jan 13 (Reuters) - U.S. crude prices slipped on Thursday after a volatile session as investors wrestled with disappointing U.S. jobs data that weighed on oil demand prospects and offset a weak dollar.
Traders eyed the prospects of OPEC acting to cool the recent rally, with Brent crude futures resting over $98 a barrel, after an OPEC delegate said the producer group would not meet unless prices moved above $100.
NYMEX February crude oil options and the ICE Brent February crude contract expire on Friday, a factor cited by brokers and analysts as contributing to Thursday's trading volatility.
FUNDAMENTALS
* On the New York Mercantile Exchange, February crude
fell 46 cents, or 0.5 percent, to settle at $91.40 a
barrel, trading from $90.91 to $92.37.* OPEC will hold an emergency meeting only if oil climbs above $100 a barrel and stays at that level, a Gulf delegate said on Thursday. A second Gulf delegate said the price strength would probably not last and customers were not asking for extra oil. [ID:nWLA2702]
* U.S. jobless claims jumped to their highest level since October while food and energy costs boosted producer prices. A surge in exports to their highest level in two years helped narrow the trade deficit. [ID:nN13271305]
* Gasoil stocks in Europe's storage hub of Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp fell slightly in the week through Thursday but stood far above normal seasonal levels, Dutch oil analyst Pieter Kulsen said. Gasoline stocks rose. [ID:nWLA2704]
* Alaska's main oil pipeline will shut for 36 hours over the weekend to install a bypass aimed at restoring oil shipments to full volumes after the line was closed following a leak last week. [ID:nN13278183]
MARKETS NEWS
* The euro posted its biggest rise against the dollar in more than six months after solid European debt auctions and a warning of short-term inflation risks from the head of the European Central Bank. [USD/]
* U.S. stocks fell, hurt by a slide in drugmaker Merck and as falling commodities prices hit shares of natural resource companies. [.N]
* Copper halted a two-day rally, as prices continued to dawdle beneath recent record peaks and investors priced in a potential dry spell in Chinese purchases in coming weeks. [MET/L]
UPCOMING DATA/EVENTS
* NYMEX February crude options expire on Friday.
* ICE Brent February crude options expire on Friday.
* U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission positions data to be released at 3:30 p.m. EST (2030 GMT) on Friday.
SETTLE NET PCT LOW HIGH CURRENT DAY AGO
CHNG CHNG VOL VOL CLc1 91.40 -0.46 -0.5% 90.91 92.37 316,867 382,686 CLc2 92.30 -0.57 -0.6% 91.83 93.27 189,181 225,416 LCOc1 98.06 -0.06 -0.1% 97.30 98.67 87,129 158,640 RBc1 2.4459 -0.0172 -0.7% 2.4316 2.4731 37,900 45,978 RBc2 2.4615 -0.0157 -0.6% 2.4478 2.4872 26,148 37,867 HOc1 2.6091 -0.0095 -0.4% 2.5865 2.626 40,907 48,870 HOc2 2.6131 -0.0092 -0.4% 2.5925 2.6306 30,444 31,336 TOTAL MARKET VOLUME OPEN INTEREST
CURRENT Jan 12 30D AVG Jan 12 NET CHNG CRUDE 805,668 933,343 644,165 1,516,692 -15,104 RBOB 96,947 125,509 103,574 272,903 386 HO 113,111 124,239 103,801 300,105 207 (Reporting by Robert Gibbons and Gene Ramos; Editing by Dale Hudson)
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