The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) on Thursday reported a 52 Bcf injection into natural gas storage for the week ended Oct. 21. The result came in below already modest market expectations and had little immediate impact on Nymex natural gas futures.

Following a spate of benign weather and robust production that reached a record level earlier this month, utilities had poured gas into underground storage. Through last week’s report, EIA had posted five straight triple-digit increases.

With bouts of colder weather in northern regions and maintenance work temporarily trimming production slightly, however, the most recent injection proved relatively light.

[Market Moves: What is affecting the natural gas market today? From the LNG pause to climate goals, get the...