Utilities injected 24 Bcf natural gas into storage for the week ended April 5, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported on Thursday. The result exceeded market expectations and kept pressure on Nymex natural gas futures.

Ahead of the 10:30 a.m. ET government print, the May futures contract was down 6.5 cents at $1.820/MMBtu. The prompt month slipped further to around $1.800 when the EIA data was released. By 11 a.m. ET, it remained near that low level and down 8.0 cents to $1.805.

“Well, the bears own the joint this week,” The Desk’s John Sodergreen, editor-in-chief, said on the online energy platform Enelyst.

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