It appears every time someone utters the word “Freeport,” the natural gas market gets itself into a tizzy. This time, though, the latest development in the wake of the LNG terminal’s explosion earlier this summer did nothing to alter its planned restart and thus should have had little influence over prices.

At A Glance:

  • Freeport jolts market again
  • Below-average storage build expected
  • Cash mixed on varying weather

On the contrary, Freeport’s removal of its force majeure declaration following the June incident at the liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility helped send the September Nymex gas futures contract up another 36.9 cents to $8.202/MMBtu. October futures jumped 36.8 cents to $8.193.

Spot gas prices were mixed, but steep losses were seen in the Southeast,...