Firmness

This week’s climb in the cash market slowed down Wednesday, butwatch out for the fireworks that are virtually a certainty today.

The somewhat surprising recent firmness of swing prices held uponce again in most cases Friday, refusing to yield to either thenormal drop in weekend demand or a continuing dearth of fundamentalweather support.

Prices continued to exhibit mild firmness Thursday, and sourceswere able to point out several contributing factors: a risingscreen, colder weather than expected both in western Canada andpushing southward into the central U.S., and Wednesday afternoon’sbullish storage report.

The mini-rallies reported at several points in Wednesday’s latecash trading apparently carried over into Thursday, resulting in aflat to slightly higher March swing market. A strong showing byHenry Hub futures on Nymex helped give cash a boost, sources said.In addition, there was enough chillier weather in the midwesternand northeastern market areas to have an impact on heating load.

Despite a dearth of fundamental support, the cash market sawmostly minor gains Wednesday. The firmness came as a surprise tomany who couldn’t understand where the demand was coming from. Aminuscule gain in Henry Hub futures didn’t give cash much impetusat all, one trader said.

The overall cash market was flat to slightly higher Monday, withlarger increases tending to occur in the Southwest basins,Rockies/Pacific Northwest and California border. But by far thehighest-flying price point was intra-Alberta, where a NOVA ruptureSaturday (see Transportation Notes) was keeping up to 1 Bcf/d offthe market. Gas that had been trading in the low C$1.50s Saturdaymorning prior to the rupture was up to the C$2.10 area Monday, aCalgary source said.