Natural gas forward markets were lower for the Oct. 22-28 period as lackluster demand in key demand regions of the Lower 48 tempered prices, according to NGI’s Forward Look. Losses were mostly pronounced in the Northeast and in the Permian Basin, where pipeline work sparked increased volatility this week.

Most of the price action was at the front of the forward curve, where November prices fell an average 15.0 cents, Forward Look data showed. December slipped only 1.0 cent on average, and the full winter strip (November-March) dropped 4.0 cents. Prices for next summer (April-October) averaged flat for the week, while the winter 2021-2022 strip picked up 2.0 cents.

In an interesting break from the norm this week, several U.S. markets broke away from Nymex futures prices. The...