Natural gas futures finished higher Tuesday after a choppy session that began in the red, supported by a rebound in U.S. LNG exports and a blitz of pipeline maintenance that sent gas production estimates lower.

At A Glance:

  • West Texas prices flip positive
  • MVP pipeline ready to start in May
  • Production falls below 97 Bcf/d

Coming off a nearly 4.0-cent gain Monday, the May Nymex contract added 2.1 cents day/day to settle at $1.812/MMBtu. The June contract, which is set to become the prompt month after Friday’s close, rose 2.9 cents to $2.094.

The overall trend for cash prices was also higher Tuesday, driven by sharp gains in West Texas that flipped its prices positive for the first time since early April. NGI’s Spot Gas National Avg. added 4.0 cents to $1.380.

With weeks...