Equities

Monday’s test of psychological support at $6, a nip in the air and a strong rebound in equities combined to push November natural gas futures higher on Tuesday. The contract, which expires Wednesday, put in a high of $6.302 before settling Tuesday’s regular session at $6.186, up 6.5 cents from Monday’s close.

Exploration and production (E&P) equities are down nearly 15% since early December, but if the current seasonal weather reverts to warmer-than-normal conditions in the next three weeks, share prices likely will be slapped down again in mid-to-late February, which could create “compelling acquisition opportunities,” energy analysts said last week.

Exploration and production (E&P) equities are down nearly 15% since early December, but if the current seasonal weather reverts to warmer-than-normal conditions in the next three weeks, share prices likely will be slapped down again in mid to late February, which could create “compelling acquisition opportunities,” energy analysts said Tuesday.

While natural gas trading is near the top of the market transparency chart, right behind equities and currencies, it loses points for price inefficiency because of the large amount of indexed transactions, according to a study sponsored by the Natural Gas Supply Association (NGSA). The study was done by Peter Locke, associate professor at the M.J. Neeley School of Business at Texas Christian University.