TOKYO, May 6 (Reuters) - U.S. crude futures extended declines on Friday after closing below $100 a barrel a day earlier for the first time since March as a commodities sell-off continued amid persistent worries about economic growth and tighter monetary policies.
FUNDAMENTALS
* NYMEX crude for June delivery
* Brent crude futures for June
* The decline came after early selling stoked by data showing the number of Americans filing for jobless benefits rose to an eight-month high last week and productivity growth slowed in the first quarter. [ID:nN05259672]
* Additional pressure came from news that OPEC is considering raising formal output limits when it meets in June to convince oil markets it wants to bring prices down and reverse the impact of fuel inflation on economic growth. [ID:nLDE7440SM]
MARKETS NEWS
* Wall Street stock indexes fell for a fourth straight day on Thursday as a massive sell-off in commodities spilled over into other markets, forcing investors out of higher-risk assets and rattling equities markets before Friday's U.S. payrolls data.
* The dollar soared nearly 2.0 percent against the euro on Thursday as concerns about a global economic slowdown, reflected in a slump in commodity markets, prompted investors to flee risky assets and high-yielding currencies and seek refuge in the greenback.
* Markets awaited a closely watched U.S. April jobs report due at 8:30 a.m. EDT (1230 GMT) on Friday.
A Reuters poll of economists ahead of the data showed expectations that 186,000 non-farm jobs were created in the last month while the unemployment rate was forecast to have remained at 8.8 percent.
DATA/EVENTS
* The following data is expected on Friday: (Times in GMT)
- 1000 Germany Industrial output mm Mar 2011
- 1130 India M3 Money Supply 40650
- 1230 U.S. Employment April
(Reporting by Osamu Tsukimori; Editing by Michael Watson)