With the market preparing to turn its attention to the latest government storage data, expected to show an unseasonably early March injection, natural gas futures pulled back in early trading Thursday. The May Nymex contract was down 3.4 cents to $5.571/MMBtu at around 8:50 a.m. ET.

NGI Morning Natural Gas Price & Markets Coverage

For the latest Energy Information Administration (EIA) storage report, scheduled for 10:30 a.m. ET, surveys showed consensus clustered around an injection in the mid- to low-20s Bcf for the week ended March 25.

Estimates submitted to Bloomberg as of Wednesday showed a median 25 Bcf injection, with projections ranging from 19 Bcf to 37 Bcf.

Estimates in a Reuters poll ranged from a withdrawal of 8 Bcf to an injection of 34 Bcf, with a median increase of 22 Bcf. The Wall Street Journal’s survey...