A poor showing for the U.S. labor market sent oil prices lower in early Thursday trading, with key indices off about a half percent from the previous session. The U.S. Labor Department reported seasonally adjusted claims for unemployment at 282,000 for the week ending May 23, an increase of 7,000 from the previous week. The four-week moving average rose by 5,000 and, for the week ending May 16, the insured unemployment rate of 1.7 percent represented a 0.1 percent increase from the previous week. Weak overall demand in a market with a surplus of oil pushed crude oil markets into bearish territory, dropping below the $50 per barrel mark at times in early 2015. Markets have since recovered somewhat, though economic growth […]