The typical slump in gas demand that accompanies a weekend wasable to coax a smidgen of softness out of the cash marketFriday-but just barely. Flatness was the word at quite a fewpoints, and decreases at others only rarely exceeded 2-3 cents.Sources continued to remark on how relatively stable the marketfeels even when prices come off a little.

Denver-Julesburg Basin prices into CIG again were conspicuousamid the overall sea of mild softness. DJ quotes were up about anickel on average and ran as high as $2.25 as the pipeline had aStrained Operating Condition(SOC) in effect. CIG has only a limitedamount of working storage gas left, one trader said. The CIGconstraint combined with the Restricted Delivery Day declaredearlier by Public Service Co. of Colorado (see Daily GPI, April22). PSCo confirmed Friday that the RDD would end with the start oftoday’s gas day, while CIG canceled its SOC effective Saturday.Snowy conditions prevailed in much of the Rockies Friday.

Although San Juan-Blanco was off only about a penny overall, itwas getting hammered near the end of trading, one source said.Prices that began approximately flat at $2.03 were a dime lower inlate deals, he said, apparently because the California market driedup quickly.

Nobody seemed in any hurry to get on with May business. Althoughno one quoted any fixed prices Friday, a marketer said he washearing Rockies talk in the mid to upper $1.90s and intra-Albertaabout even with current swing pricing in the mid C$2.60s.

Another marketer said all Gulf Coast basis for May is about apenny stronger than April’s. He was hearing ANR-Southeast at minus4.5-5 in May compared to minus 5-6.5 last month. May basis forColumbia Gulf-mainline is plus 2.75-3. A buyer said Transco Zone6-NYC is at plus 25.

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