Oil prices slipped to near $76 a barrel Friday in Asia ahead of U.S. unemployment figures that will provide an important guide to the strength of the economic recovery and demand for crude, The Associated Press reported. Benchmark crude for January delivery was down 42 cents to $76.05 at late afternoon Singapore time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract gave up 14 cents to settle at $76.46 on Thursday. The Labor Department announces later Friday the November unemployment rate and how many jobs the U.S. economy lost last month. The jobless rate rose to 10.2 percent in October, a 26-year high. In other Nymex trading in January contracts, heating oil rose 0.63 cent to $2.04 and gasoline gained 0.33 cent to $1.99. Natural gas increased 1.5 cents to $4.47 per 1,000 cubic feet. In London, Brent crude for January delivery fell 25 cents to $78.11 on the ICE Futures exchange.
