A continuation of extreme heat in much of the West provided some rationale for Tuesday’s small upticks in that market area, but sources were generally at a loss to explain similar moderate firmness in the East. Actually the eastern gains tended to be slightly larger, although nearly all points were limited to single-digit increases and a few were flat to barely lower.

Calling it a very boring market, a marketer said she “almost didn’t have enough to do to stay awake.” Power generation load is remaining strong in the West as another day of high temperatures exceeding 100 degrees was forecast for Wednesday in the desert Southwest and parts of the Pacific Northwest, she noted. However, the marketer confessed to having “no idea” what drove eastern numbers a few pennies higher.

One source suspected the mini-rally will be short-lived, pointing to the screen’s expiration-day loss of a nickel as one reason. He also cited a new cold front moving into the western Midwest Wednesday, along with unseasonably mild temperatures in the Northeast and the northern reaches of the South.

A Northeast utility buyer said he heard rumors of “some group” pushing for more power generation in his region, which seemed odd because “it’s cooler today [Tuesday] than yesterday here.” But other than those unconfirmable reports, he couldn’t think of any reason for price upticks since “everything still looks soft.” Whatever the market’s driving force, the buyer noted that Texas Eastern seemed to be garnering the lion’s share of regional demand. Texas Eastern M-3 quotes were more than a nickel above those for Transco Zone 6-NYC, he said.

Most of the U.S. can expect normal temperatures next week, according to the National Weather Service. Its forecast for the Aug. 4-8 period indicates above normal readings in the Pacific Northwest, Upper Plains and an area encompassing eastern New Mexico, West Texas and the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles. Below normal temperatures are due along the California coast and in an oval stretching from Louisiana through much of the Southeast and also taking in parts of the Mid-Atlantic and eastern Midwest.

Bidweek numbers were trending moderately downward Tuesday, due both to screen softness and a weak aftermarket outlook in the first half of August, a western trader said. Because of relatively small year-ago injections, the next three EIA storage reports are expected to slash fairly large chunks out of the year-on-year inventory deficit, she added.

The trader reported the Southern California border in the mid $4.50s Tuesday, with Waha a couple of pennies higher. Waha for August was about a dime below swing levels, while the border lagged swing quotes by about 15 cents.

A producer said bidweek trading, which had seemed even lighter than usual Friday and Monday to several sources, picked up substantially early Tuesday. “I don’t expect there to be too much late clamoring for gas,” he added. “It would be nice to get a little more action in the market, though.” He didn’t see a lot of price movement within fairly tight ranges in either the daily or monthly markets Tuesday.

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