Erratic

The effects of global climate change, including severe droughts, excessive sea level rise, erratic storm behavior, deteriorating glaciers, pestilence and shifts in agriculture ranges, could increase instability and lead to conflict in already fragile regions of the world, witnesses said during a hearing of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations in Washington, DC, last Tuesday.

The effects of global climate change, including severe droughts, excessive sea level rise, erratic storm behavior, deteriorating glaciers, pestilence and shifts in agriculture ranges, could increase instability and lead to conflict in already fragile regions of the world, witnesses said during a hearing of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations in Washington, DC, on Tuesday.

January natural gas futures fell in erratic, choppy trading Monday as analysts see continued weakness stemming from ample supplies and fickle cold weather. The January contract fell 17.6 cents to $5.566 and February lost 15.5 cents to $5.612. January crude oil rose $2.90 to $43.71/bbl.

Continuing the recent run of erratic price swings from one day to the next, most cash points on Tuesday reversed course from Monday’s gains to record drops of up to 40 cents. Eastern and Gulf region points were down across the board while Midcontinent and western points were down with a few gains — mostly less than a dime — sprinkled in.

In what was largely believed to be a follow-through from Friday’s erratic screen rise of nearly 16 cents, cash prices saw strong gains Monday that hit double digits at a majority of points and were especially pronounced in the heated West. Eastern upticks tended to range from about a nickel to a little more than 20 cents, while some western points fit within the East’s pattern and others soared by as much as 40-60 cents or more.