Oil hits 7-month high as U.S. jobs data raises hopes

By Richard Valdmanis

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices rose more than 5 percent to a seven-month high above $69 a barrel on Thursday after U.S. data showed a drop in jobless claims, boosting expectations of an economic recovery that could revive ailing energy demand.

U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs said an economic rebound, alongside production cuts by the OPEC cartel, could propel crude to $85 a barrel by the end of the year and to $95 a barrel by the end of 2010.

"For the better or for the worse, a switch in the Goldman price forecast rarely does not have a price influence, and we will need to take it as a market input for the next few days," Petromatrix analyst Olivier Jakob said.

U.S. crude for July delivery rose $3.48 to $69.60 a barrel by 1:30 p.m. EDT (1730 GMT), the highest since early November. London Brent gained $3.35 to $69.23.

The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless benefits fell for a third straight week, government data showed on Thursday, indicating some loss of force in the pace of the job market's deterioration.

"As has been the case lately, constructive economic data has been used as an indicator that the economy will improve and that oil demand will follow," said Peter Beutel, president of trading consultants Cameron Hanover in New Canaan, Connecticut.

"But fundamentals at this point do not justify the current prices for crude futures," he added.

Oil closed more than $2 a barrel lower on Wednesday, after the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported U.S. crude inventories rose 2.9 million barrels; analysts polled by Reuters had expected a decline of 1.4 million barrels.