Global oil prices rose as upbeat US jobs data helped the US benchmark contract break a five-day losing streak. New York's West Texas Intermediate for November delivery for November delivery finished at $103.03 a barrel, up 37 cents from Wednesday's closing level. The European benchmark, Brent North Sea crude for November, rose 89 cents to $109.21 a barrel in London trade. New US jobless claims, an indicator of the pace of layoffs, fell by 5,000, to 305,000, in the week ending September 21, according to the Labor Department. Gold prices fell as a rebounding labour market fanned worries of a swifter end to Federal Reserve stimulus efforts. The most actively traded contract, for December delivery, on Thursday fell $US12.10, or 0.9 per cent, to settle at $US1,324.10 a troy ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. Weekly data showed US jobless claims are hovering near six-year lows, prompting some investors to worry about the future path of monetary policy. An improving labour market is a prerequisite for winding down the Fed's $US85 billion-a-month bond purchasing program. The central bank's stimulus efforts have been supportive for gold prices: keeping borrowing rates low has made zero-yielding assets more attractive compared to interest-bearing assets. Base metal prices on the London Metal Exchange (LME) closed moderately higher in quiet trade as the metals continue to take strength from upbeat US economic data, but analysts expected rocky price activity ahead. LME three-month copper on Thursday closed 0.7 per cent higher on the day at $US7,250 a metric ton. Aluminium closed 1.0 per cent higher at $US1,822 a metric ton, while tin, the most thinly traded metal, closed up 0.2 per cent on the day, at $US23,220 a ton. The metals rose despite the euro, which fell against the US dollar. This tends to dent the appeal of US dollar-priced assets for buyers with euros. Standard Bank said price gains were driven as Asian investors led a reversal of bets on lower prices.