As traders braced for the release of updated government inventory data, expected to reveal another triple-digit shoulder season injection, natural gas futures traded close to even early Thursday. The November Nymex contract was off 1.0 cent to $6.425/MMBtu shortly after 8:50 a.m. ET.

Surveys ahead of the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) 10:30 a.m. ET storage report have been pointing to an injection in the 120s Bcf for the week ended Oct. 7.

A Bloomberg survey of nine analysts varied widely, with injection estimates from 85 Bcf to 137 Bcf. The median in that survey was 127 Bcf. A Reuters poll of 14 analysts produced a median injection estimate of 122 Bcf, with predictions ranging from 110 Bcf to 137 Bcf.

A build in line with surveys would mark the fourth straight...