Natural gas forward market trading was choppy at the front of the curve for the trading period ending July 28. Heat was forecast to ease in the near term, dragging down summer prices by more than 20 cents in the Northeast, according to NGI’s Forward Look.

Other markets continued to see small gains through the balance of summer (August-October) on the prospects for hotter weather returning by the middle of August. Any increased cooling demand was seen further threatening storage levels ahead of the winter.

Henry Hub August prices gained 4.0 cents from July 22-28 to reach $4.052, according to Forward Look. Prices for the winter (November-March 2022) climbed only one penny, averaging $4.060, while prices for next summer (April-October) tacked on a nickel to average...