January Nymex natural gas futures ended a choppy Friday regular trading session slightly lower, off the prior day’s $2.585/MMBtu settlement.

At A Glance:

  • Futures finish slightly lower
  • Long-range outlook bearish
  • Cash prices mostly higher

The front-month contract settled at $2.581/MMBtu. January futures probed the upside early, reaching a $2.610 intraday high, but quickly reversed gains to a $2.538 intraday low. February futures closed down 1.6 cents at $2.504.

NGI’s Spot National Avg. at $2.320 was up 2.0 cents as prices increased in most regions, led by West Texas picking itself off the mat after the W. TX/SE NM Regional Avg. sank to just 23.0 cents Thursday.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported a larger-than-expected 117 Bcf withdrawal from the...