Difference

What a difference a week can make. For the third time in fourdays the April futures contract tested, but was unable to breakbelow stubborn support in the $2.71-74 area, leaving traders littlechoice but to bid up futures despite warming temperatures andfalling cash prices. The April contract finished up an impressive5.3 cents at $2.847. This advance came on the heels of last week’sprice activity, which saw the April contract twice test equallystubborn resistance at the $2.88-90 level. Aside from one falsebreakout to $2.67, the spot contract has consolidated within the$2.70-90 area since March 1.

Even as cash prices plummeted 25 cents or more for weekenddeliveries the futures screen managed to push higher Friday astraders looked past the unseasonably warm weather outside theirwindows and focused instead on short and medium range forecasts.After a strong opening at $2.56 the December contract caught a waveof technical buying from both trade and local shorts, allowing itto peak at $2.71 before settling up 12.7 cents at $2.649.

What a difference a week can make. Bull traders, nearly ready tothrow in the towel a week ago, have become “cautiously optimistic”higher prices are in their future. And they have good reason tofeel that way because the market entertained a flood of positivenews last week, which gave bulls and bears alike little choice butto bid the market higher. The April contract broke above the 40-daymoving average at $1.80 on Friday and was propelled 5 cents higherby speculative fund buying to finish the day up 9.8 cents at$1.853. Volume was a heavy 108,348. For the week, April gained 22.5cents.

Cash prices again showed little movement Thursday. The maindifference from the previous day was that small drops dominatedinstead of small increases. Thursday’s biggest fall of nearly adime came in Transco Zone 6-New York City.

Citing a difference of opinion with the board of directors overstrategy, Branko Terzic resigned as chairman, president and CEO ofYankee Energy System based in Meriden, CT.