Basically

After trading within one of its smallest ranges in months, February natural gas futures on Tuesday basically called the day a wash, settling 2.4 cents lower at $9.336. Trading flip-flopped from gains to losses for a majority of the session while remaining within a tight 27-cent range from $9.280 to $9.550.

Although the overall weather picture remains basically moderate, there apparently is just enough chill returning to cause cash prices to level off or rally Wednesday. A majority of points were flat to slightly higher, with gains of more than about a nickel largely limited to the Rockies/Pacific Northwest. California and some Northeast citygates saw small declines.

Projecting natural gas wellhead prices, and basically anything else concerning natural gas, hasn’t been easy for the Energy Information Administration (EIA). In fact, forecasting consumption, production and prices for just about any other energy commodity has been easier.

Projecting natural gas wellhead prices, and basically anything else concerning natural gas, hasn’t been easy for the Energy Information Administration (EIA). In fact, forecasting consumption, production and prices for just about any other energy commodity has been easier.

Wednesday’s cash market was basically a repeat of what happened on Tuesday with Northeast prices making further gains of more than 60 cents to highs well above $10 at most locations while the rest of the market was flat or slipped a little with the weakness in the futures market and forecasts of warmer temperatures next week.

A solid majority of close to 100 energy leaders meeting behind closed doors in Houston Monday endorsed the proposition that a competing mixture of financial, journalistic and academic institutions and FERC should collect energy price data, while Commission Chairman Pat Wood, acknowledged that current price indexes appear to function well.

Western markets rejoined their counterparts in the East as all points registered double-digit gains Monday that were mostly between about 15 and 30 cents. The source of the price strength remained a mystery to several sources who contended that fundamental weather demand was not that heavy outside the Upper Plains, Pacific Northwest and Rockies.

With basically no positive news on which to rear their horns, bulls were once again on the defensive Friday as a lower open forced them to either liquidate long positions or pony up additional reserves for margin calls. Naturally, some chose the former, and that selling pressure translated immediately to lower prices, as futures probed to fresh 16-month lows for the third straight session. September was the hardest hit of any of the months in the gas pit, tumbling 10.5 cents to close at $2.706.

U.S.-based IntercontinentalExchange’s (ICE) takeover of Europe’s International Petroleum Exchange is basically a done deal, with approval of 89.6% of the shares. As of June 15, ICE’s financial adviser, Goldman Sachs, had received 10.25 million shares of acceptance, and with 90% or more of IPE shares in hand, ICE may exercise its right to acquire the rest of the outstanding shares.