The cash market started out this week looking remarkably similarto the way it did last week, but on a reduced scale. Because pricesweren’t digging out from nearly as deep a weekend hole as the oneof Dec. 5-7, Monday’s increases weren’t quite as spectacular asthose from the previous week but were still significantnonetheless.

In what several traders characterized as quiet activity, pricesrose by anywhere from just over a dime (PG&E citygate) toaround 40 cents (CIG and Kern River). The Rockies constituted thenation’s coldest region. Though a Sumas gain of less than 20 centswas more modest than most, it carried the Canadian export pointinto the mid to low $2.10s. This was some of the highest pricingaround other than California and Northeast citygates.

A marketer said Chicago citygates started out in the mid toupper $1.90s, then retreated to the mid $1.80s before making a laterecovery to the $1.90 area. He expects cash trading throughChristmas week to be more sideways than up or down.

Intra-Alberta was up about C30 cents to the low C$2.30s, eventhough weather didn’t seem to justify the rise, one trader said.There was some early-morning snow in Calgary but it was melting byafternoon, he said, and a warming trend is forecast for later thisweek.

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