NEW YORK, Aug. 10 -- U.S. crude prices edged up on Thursday as U.S. jobs data came in positive and concerns about global oil supplies lingered.

Crude prices rose after the Labor Department said U.S. initial jobless claims dropped by 6,000 to 361,000 in the week ended Aug. 4, showing moderate improvement in the jobs market.

Meanwhile, the Commerce Department reported that U.S. trade deficit fell to the lowest level in 1.5 years.

Besides, concerns about oil supplies lingered. Tropical Storm Ernesto headed to the coast of Mexico on Thursday, threatening oil production in the region. Three major oil ports were closed on Wednesday ahead of the storm, cutting off most oil exports from the area.

Investors were also keeping a close eye on the situation in the Middle East. Rising tensions between Iran and the West and the turmoil in Syria posed risks to supplies in the region.

China released a series of weak data on Thursday, indicating a possible slowdown in the world's second largest oil consumer. China's value-added industrial output rose 9.2 percent in June, the slowest pace in three years. Its retail sales also missed market expectations. Meanwhile, China's consumer inflation eased to 1.8 percent in July, the lowest in 30 months.

Investors believed that the weak data and low inflation would trigger more stimulus plans from the Chinese government, which helped boost crude prices.

But worries about the global demand outlook still weighed on the market. The slowdown in China and the prolonged European debt crisis are seen as factors that could lead to less demand.

Light, sweet crude for September delivery gained 1 cents to settle at 93.36 dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. In London, Brent crude for September delivery rose 1.08 dollars, or 0.96 percent, to close at 113.22 dollars a barrel.