Natural gas futures eased lower early Thursday as traders awaited the latest government storage report, a potentially pivotal data point that has proven difficult to predict in recent weeks. The June Nymex contract was down 0.2 cents to $2.936/MMBtu at around 8:50 a.m. ET.

NGI Morning Natural Gas Price & Markets Coverage

The Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) latest weekly storage report, scheduled for 10:30 a.m. ET, is expected to show a net injection in the mid to low 60s Bcf. 

Estimates generated by a Reuters poll spanned increases of 49 Bcf to 76 Bcf, with a median of 65 Bcf. The Wall Street Journal’s weekly survey showed estimates ranging from increases of 52 Bcf to 70 Bcf, with an average of 62 Bcf. The median of 13 estimates submitted to Bloomberg as of early Thursday showed a median 65 Bcf build, with...