Natural gas futures slumped at first but ultimately gained ground Friday, extending a winning streak to three days as traders assessed a favorable but uncertain weather outlook and choppy production estimates.

At A Glance:

  • Front month gains 12.1 cents
  • Production remains wildcard
  • Demand poised to increase

The July Nymex gas futures contract settled at $2.729/MMBtu, up 12.1 cents day/day. August gained 13.9 cents to $2.843.

NGI’s Spot Gas National Avg. ticked down 1.5 cents to $2.220.

The prompt month see-sawed between gains and losses Friday – as it did through much of the week, beginning with a drop Tuesday and a rebound the next day.

Production climbed to 99.7 Bcf/d on Friday – a high point for the week in Bloomberg’s estimates but still well below the 101...