Natural gas futures probed above the $7.00 mark early Thursday as traders prepared to turn their attention to the latest round of government inventory data, expected to show a lighter-than-normal spring injection. The May Nymex contract was up 7.3 cents to $7.070/MMBtu at around 8:55 a.m. ET.

NGI Morning Natural Gas Price & Markets Coverage

Predictions for this week’s Energy Information Administration (EIA) report, scheduled for 10:30 a.m. ET, have ranged from injections of 5 Bcf up to a 29 Bcf build.

Reuters polled 13 analysts, whose estimates produced a median increase in inventories of 13 Bcf. A Bloomberg survey showed a median build of 15 Bcf, while the average of a Wall Street Journal poll was 12 Bcf.

A build in line with estimates would compare bullishly to historical norms. EIA recorded a 55 Bcf increase in storage...