Natural gas futures pulled back early Thursday as traders prepared to digest the latest round of government inventory data, expected to show a sixth straight higher-than-average injection into Lower 48 stocks. The November Nymex contract was off 10.8 cents to $5.062/MMBtu at around 8:45 a.m. ET.

NGI Morning Natural Gas Price & Markets Coverage

Surveys ahead of the latest U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) storage report, scheduled for 10:30 a.m. ET, showed the market anticipating a net injection of around 90 Bcf for the week ending Oct. 15.

Reuters polled 17 analysts, whose estimates ranged from builds of 80 Bcf to 97 Bcf, with a median injection of 90 Bcf. The average of 14 estimates in a Wall Street Journal poll also landed at a 90 Bcf injection.

Responses to a Bloomberg survey as of early Thursday produced a...