Another day, another dime (or so) down for cash prices.Acknowledging it was a colossal understatement, a marketercommented, “It seems like the buying frenzy is over.” Although airconditioning was still generating its fair share of demandWednesday, it wasn’t nearly enough to prevent more slides on eitherside of a dime at nearly all price points.

There’s nothing to say about this market except “it’s weak,weak, weak,” according to a Texas trader. He expects prices to keepsoftening through the end of July because “it’s gotten about as hotas it can get and that still hasn’t fazed the gas bears.”

One point that nearly managed to stay flat was Transco’s Zone6-New York City, down only a little reportedly because ofconstraints at the pipeline’s Linden, NJ chokepoint leading intothe Big Apple area. That also caused Texas Eastern M-3 citygates tosee less decrease than the overall market. However, non-NYCdeliveries in Transco Zone 6 joined the general market’s fall.

Although a little cooler than earlier this week, continuing hightemperatures in the Rockies limited the price drops there to abouta nickel.

Williams continued to be a premium interstate in theMidcontinent as the outage at Amoco’s Hugoton Jayhawk plant keeps abig chunk of gas off the system. Williams quotes around $1.97 ledneighboring pipes ANR, NGPL and Panhandle Eastern by about anickel. Williams reported being told by Amoco that Aug. 10 isprojected as the date for Jayhawk’s return to full operation.

A marketer called general Midcontinent basis for August “verytight” at minus 7.5-8.5. Other new basis talk included NorAm-eastat minus 5, Columbia-Appalachia at plus 12-13 and MRT mainline at asurprisingly strong plus 2. But so far August business has been”just tire-kicking,” one source said.

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