Crude mixed in Asian trade

SINGAPORE: Oil prices were mixed in Asia Friday as falling US jobless claims and heightened Middle East tensions were offset by concerns over the global economy, analysts said.
New York's main contract, Nymex light sweet crude for delivery in November, rose nine cents to $92.16 a barrel while Brent North Sea crude for November delivery shed 26 cents to $115.45.
"Things have settled a bit over the session and so you see heavier selling in the Brent over the Nymex," said Jason Hughes, head of premium client management in IG Markets Singapore.
This was due to the "same old noises coming out of slow global growth and more concerns over Europe," he said.
The International Monetary Fund this week slashed its growth forecasts across the world, citing the festering debt crisis in Europe, a stuttering recovery in the United States and a slowdown in China.
Adding to the worries is Spain's continued refusal to ask for a bailout from international lenders despite the woeful state of its finances.
Ratings agency Standard & Poor's also raised alarms over Spain when it downgraded it two notches Wednesday to just above "junk" status.
However crude prices were buoyed by an unexpected dip in US jobless figures.
New claims for US unemployment insurance benefits fell last week to 339,000, the lowest level since February 2008, the Labor Department said Thursday.
Meanwhile, Turkey's interception Wednesday of a Syrian Air aircraft en route from Moscow to Damascus, forcing it to land in Turkey, added to tensions that have seen cross-border shelling over the past week.
Ankara says the plane was carrying military equipment and ammunition for the Syrian government, which along with Russia has angrily rejected the allegation.