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With a smidgen of flatness mixed in here and there, prices were in rally mode Tuesday at all other points. Traders cautioned against reading too much into the new cash firmness, though, saying it seemed stronger than it was only in comparison to the holiday weekend’s softness. Also, a plunge just shy of 60 cents in natural gas futures Tuesday should turn cash quotes downward again Wednesday, they said.

A few flat to modestly higher numbers, mostly in the West and Midcontinent, surfaced here and there Monday, but prices were softer at a solid majority of points. They were pressured lower by Friday’s 7-cent screen decline and by moderating weather trends that so far have reduced heating load without replacing it with significant amounts of power generation load from higher temperatures.

Showing that there is currently no weakness in the natural gas complex, November futures followed last week’s sizeable run-up with another burst Tuesday morning. The prompt month in Monday overnight Access trading jumped 34.5 cents to open Tuesday above the psychological $7 mark.

Flat to slightly lower quotes were sprinkled here and there, but most of the cash market was in rebound mode Monday. The return of industrial load and Friday’s screen uptick of 4.1 cents provided much of the support, as weather fundamentals waxed and waned in different areas.

The current gas pricing environment is not an anomaly that is soon to vanish in a sudden market collapse. It’s a supply-driven predicament that’s going to stick around for years, according to consultants at Energy and Environmental Analysis Inc. (EEA). The best thing large gas consumers can do in the short-term, EEA said, is be more efficient by using more combined heat and power generation, traditionally called cogeneration.

The current gas pricing environment is not an anomaly that is soon to vanish in a sudden market collapse. It’s a supply-driven predicament that’s going to stick around for years, according to consultants at Energy and Environmental Analysis Inc. (EEA).

Moderate softening continued in the swing market Thursday for the most part, but points here and there were flat or eked out tiny gains. Except for some lingering chill in the Upper Plains, Rockies and Western Canada, temperatures were converging toward pleasant levels appropriate for mid-spring in nearly all other regions (cooler in the Southwest and warmer in the Northeast). However, a cold front was due to move into the Midwest by the weekend.

With an occasional small gain mixed in here and there, prices were mostly flat to moderately softer in quiet trading Friday. Virtually all of the losses were in single digits, with a dime drop in Texas Eastern’s East Texas zone the sole exception.

Despite some flat points here and there, the overall cash market continued to rise Thursday with gains that were mostly in single digits but reached nearly 15 cents in a few cases. And although a couple of sources confessed to seeing the weekend market as a tough call, majority sentiment looks for further price firmness Friday in spite of cold front forecasts for the Midwest and Northeast.