Fundamental

January natural gas tumbled 6.3 cents Monday, as traders look for some semblance of price support amid an unfavorable technical and fundamental setting. At the close January had fallen 6.3 cents to $3.254 and February had retreated 5.9 cents to $3.294. January crude oil dropped $1.64 to $97.77/bbl.

The mayor of Albany, NY, has vetoed an ordinance that would have banned hydraulic fracturing (fracking) within the city limits on the grounds that the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has not finalized its actions over the practice.

November natural gas rose Monday as traders saw little in the way of fundamental changes and looked for the market to trade lower by midweek. After what was deemed a round of short-covering November had gained 6 cents to $3.541 and December was up by 1.6 cents to $3.836. November crude oil vaulted $2.43 to $85.41/bbl.

Chevron Corp. CEO John Watson said Thursday the buy-out of Marcellus Shale player Atlas Energy Inc. didn’t signal a fundamental shift in the company’s strategy; rather, it was an attractive opportunity that came at the right time.

After maintaining a facade of firmness for most of the week in the face of generally weak fundamental influences, the cash market fell at all but one point Friday, finally succumbing to the reality of little weather-based load, an ongoing lack of any tropical storm threats to offshore production, abundant storage inventories and a prior-day futures decline.

Natural gas futures drew to a mixed close Tuesday as traders cited little in the way of new fundamental data and noted the rolling of short positions into more deferred contract months. At the close November futures rose 2.8 cents to $3.629 and December fell 1.8 cents to $3.992. November crude oil lost 54 cents to $81.67/bbl.

The North American midstream energy sector has a positive outlook over the next 12-18 months based on an expectation that fundamental credit conditions in the industry will improve, Moody’s Investors Service analysts said Thursday.

The North American midstream energy sector has a positive outlook over the next 12-18 months based on an expectation that fundamental credit conditions in the industry will improve, Moody’s Investors Service analysts said Thursday.

February natural gas futures made double-digit gains Friday as traders see a fundamental shift in the supply-demand balance in the long term and factor in another spate of bone-chilling cold. At the close February futures rose 20.4 cents to $5.819 and March added 18.2 cents to $5.750. March crude oil continued its slide lower, dropping $1.54 to $74.54/bbl.