Crude prices fell slightly on Friday as concerns on the economic recovery continued, Xinhua reported.
The U.S. Labor Department reported Friday that the U.S. economy shed 125,000 jobs last month, compared to expectations for a more modest drop of 110,000 jobs. However, the worse-than-expected figures were accompanied by an unexpected drop in the unemployment rate, which slipped from 9.7 percent in May to 9.5 percent in June.
What unnerved investors about the report was that job creation in private sector remained weak. Data showed the United States added just 83,000 private-sector jobs in June, lower than market has expected.
Disappointing economic data has hurt consumer confidence in the United States while ongoing debt crisis in Europe stirred worried about energy demand.
Light, sweet crude for August delivery was down 81 cents to settle at 72.14 U.S. dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
In London, Brent crude dropped 74 cents to 71.60 dollars a barrel on the ICE futures exchange.
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