Attributed

The cash market rebounded by generally moderate amounts at most points Monday. The gains were attributed to heating load in northern market areas, the return of industrial demand from its usual weekend slump, and to some degree on working off imbalances accrued over the weekend.

The cash market rebounded by generally moderate amounts at most points Monday. The gains were attributed to heating load in northern market areas, the return of industrial demand from its usual weekend slump, and to some degree on working off imbalances accrued over the weekend.

Higher natural gas prices in the third quarter continue to tell the tale for most North American-based producers. However, asset sales, natural field declines and storm shut-ins also are playing a major role in quarterly financial reports. With third quarter announcements continuing last week, there were across-the-board winners on the earnings side, but only a few reporting strong gains in North American production.

Sources attributed moderate gains in most of the cash market Thursday to storage buying, carryover effect from the screen’s previous-day increase of a little more than a dime and — yes, a little bit of weather, both hot and cold.

Accenture’s Etienne H. Deffarges on Thursday borrowed a quotation attributed to Winston Churchill, telling energy executives that the definition of “failure” was the “ability to go from one failure to another with enthusiasm.” Churchill’s comment, said Deffarges, “spectacularly” defines what has happened and what will happen as the power sector begins its slow ascent.

To paraphrase a quotation attributed to Mark Twain (aka Samuel Clemens), everybody talks about the weather, but nobody seems to agree about the forecasts. Will El Nino warm up the Northeast and cool off the South and wreak havoc on utility and natural gas earnings? Will the Pacific Northwest have less rain this winter? And, most important, will the snow stop long enough in the Northeast to shovel the walkways clear for a day?

To paraphrase a quotation attributed to Mark Twain (aka Samuel Clemens), everybody talks about the weather, but nobody seems to agree about the forecasts. Will El Nino warm up the Northeast and cool off the South and wreak havoc on utility and natural gas earnings? Will the Pacific Northwest have less rain this winter? And, most important, will the snow stop long enough in the Northeast to shovel the walkways clear for a day?

With little in the way of fundamental support to speak of, cashprices still managed gains between a nickel and a dime Tuesday atalmost every trading point. “It’s got to be technical,” said autility buyer. The tone was set by the screen opening around $1.80,a dime higher than Monday’s opening, even though the April contracteventually ended the day with a small net loss, he said. Anothersource thought it was a case of cash starting to converge with thescreen.

Dynegy CEO Chuck Watson attributed his company’s improved secondquarter performance to stronger margins in the wholesale gas andelectric businesses despite weaker margins in the company’s liquidsbusiness.