Crude oil prices struggled to get out of the gate in early Friday trading following a slowdown in the U.S. labor market, even as broad-based optimism emerged. The U.S. Labor Department said total non-farm payrolls increased by 173,000 in August, pushing the national average unemployment rate down to 5.1 percent. Healthcare and financial services posted gains, while manufacturing and mining posted net job losses. Manufacturing employment fell in August by 17,000, though the overall sector has been relatively flat for the year. Mining jobs fell by 9,000. “Since reaching a peak in December 2014, mining employment has declined by 90,000,” the Labor Department. Crude oil has traded in a volatile market navigating a string of […]