While the cash market seemed able to ignore Tuesday the fact that serious winter weather was starting to spread in most market areas outside the Southeast, it apparently was taking full cognizance of the situation Wednesday. The result was Tuesday’s mild softness yielding to Wednesday gains that ranged from a nickel to 16 cents but were mostly around a dime.
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Slightly Lower Prices Ignore Bullish Influences
Despite a firmer screen and spreading intensification of colder weather, swing prices ranged from flat to down a little more than a nickel Tuesday. A majority of points recorded small losses of 1-3 cents.
Weekend Prices Fall on Lack of Weather, Softer Futures
Cash traders found it impossible to ignore that there wasvirtually no weather-related load left for the weekend, andprobably felt that Wednesday’s and Thursday’s price reactions tostorage news and to a super-surge in energy futures related toMiddle East violence had been at least a little overhyped. Thusthey sent prices lower by double digits Friday at virtually everypoint.
Flat Cash Prices Ignore New Storms, Soaring Screen
Storms and screen-those were the two big “S” words thatdominated trader conversations Monday. Yet despite weekend lossesof South Texas production to Hurricane Bret, more tropicaldisturbances lining up in the Atlantic and a spectacular push bythe September Henry Hub futures contract to finish above $3, cashprices found themselves hard-pressed to do much more than standtheir ground. Except for some small upticks in the West, mostpoints saw little if any price movement.
Internet Hastening Changes in Business
The Internet has spawned a revolution in the way business isdone that will not ignore the energy industry. In fact, the energyindustry is among the top businesses that will be impacted by theincreased use of the Internet for all types of transactions, saidSteven Bell, an analyst covering business trade and technologystrategies service for Forrester Research.
Some Points Level Off, But Overall Outlook Still Weak
Most cash points tended to ignore Thursday’s rebound on thefutures screen and instead focused on weak fundamentals. Many GulfCoast and Midcontinent pipes were leveling off from Wednesday’sprecipitous plunges, although several in the Gulf fell a few morecents. The losers included points in South and East Texas despite aferocious heat wave straining the state’s electric utilities.
Prices Soar on Spreading Heat, Wednesday Screen
Cash traders apparently decided to ignore a relatively bearishstorage report, a retreat in Wednesday afternoon’s Access futurestrading and a further small downtick on the screen Thursday.Instead they focused on Wednesday’s jump of almost 20 cents inregular futures business and tried to match it in cash businessThursday-coming close in the cases of Agua Dulce and NGPL-SouthTexas, which both rose about 14 cents. Other points moved up in thevicinity of a dime. Standout exceptions were Malin andintra-Alberta, which managed increases of only a nickel or so. Themildness of the Malin uptick occurred even though PG&E failedto extend Thursday’s OFO.