SEOUL, Aug 6 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil futures slipped on
Monday but stayed above $91 a barrel after rallying on a
stronger-than-expected U.S. jobs report, while the market
awaited Chinese trade data due later this week for trading cues.
FUNDAMENTALS
* U.S. September crude was down 29 cents at $91.11 a
barrel as of 0017 GMT. It settled at $91.40 on Friday after
having reached $91.74, its highest since July 20.
* Brent September crude fell 50 cents to $108.44 a
barrel.
* U.S. employers hired the most workers in five months in
July, countering negative sentiment from several weeks of poor
U.S. economic data. However, the figures were still not so
strong that they would keep the Federal Reserve from providing
more economic stimulus.
* Echoing earlier government commitments, China's central
bank pledged on Sunday to intensify its monetary policy
fine-tuning in the second half of this year and improve credit
policy to bolster the real economy.
Investors are awaiting a raft of Chinese data due this week
including inflation, industrial production and retail sales on
Thursday.
* The International Monetary Fund will send a mission to
Cairo this month to hold talks on loans to the new government of
Egypt's Islamist President Mohamed Mursi, a spokesman for the
fund said on Sunday.
* The IMF on Friday also approved loans to Morocco and
Jordan after they were hit by costlier energy bills, economic
restraints from regional instability and an escalating euro zone
crisis.
* In the Middle East, Iran has test-fired a new, more
accurate short-range missile capable of striking land and sea
targets, it said on Saturday, a show of strength that
underscored its ability to hit shipping in the Strait of Hormuz
-- the neck of the Gulf through which 40 percent of the world's
sea-borne oil exports pass -- if attacked.
* Israel is upgrading its Arrow II ballistic missile shield
in a U.S.-backed "race" against Iran, Syria and other regional
enemies, a senior Israeli defence official said on Sunday.
* Tropical Storm Ernesto, the fifth storm of the Atlantic
season, kept on a westerly course in the Caribbean Sea on
Sunday, U.S. forecasters said, adding it will move into the
southern Gulf of Mexico by Thursday and it was too early to know
whether it could disrupt oil and gas operations in the gulf.
MARKETS NEWS
* The euro and the Australian dollar hit multiweek highs
against the yen on Monday, getting the new week off to a buoyant
start after the stronger-than-expected U.S. jobs data last week
lifted risk sentiment.
The euro rose to 97.49 yen, from around 97.29
late in New York on Friday, reaching its best level since
mid-July. Against the dollar, it fetched $1.2400, within
striking distance of last week's one-month peak around
$1.2406.
* Wall Street on Friday rallied to its highest level since
early May on Friday on the jobs report and renewed hope European
authorities would act to contain the euro zone debt crisis.
* Japan's benchmark Nikkei average opened up 1.50
percent at 8,683.20 on Monday, while the broader Topix
gained 1.42 percent to 734.20.
DATA/EVENTS
* The following data is expected on Monday:
1400 U.S. Employment trends Jul
(Reporting by Meeyoung Cho; Editing by Chris Gallagher)