Against the backdrop of a tight supply/demand balance, a colder-trending temperature outlook for later this month helped lift natural gas futures several cents in early trading Friday. The November Nymex contract was up 5.1 cents to $2.826/MMBtu at around 8:40 a.m. ET.

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The latest forecast early Friday from Bespoke Weather Services shifted colder toward the end of the month, in the 11-15 day time frame.

“The forecast remains a tricky one, as we have plenty of cold air on the maps from Western Canada down into the Rockies and Plains, but the issue is how much of this can spill farther east and south into areas more crucial for natural gas demand,” Bespoke said. “This is where models have been going back and forth the last few days,” with recent model runs “suggesting...