Leaning

As global liquefied natural gas (LNG) markets rely more heavily on spot transactions, the United States has been mostly a wallflower, leaning instead on cheap gas at home. Meanwhile, abundant shale gas supplies in North America — and potentially around the world — have not gone unnoticed in the LNG arena, according to the International Gas Union’s (IGU) newly released World LNG Report for 2010.

March natural gas futures soared higher Thursday on a propellant derived from economic concerns mixed with colder-leaning forecasts. Not even a sub-200 Bcf natural gas storage withdrawal report could deter the prompt-month contract’s spike, which reached a high of $8.810 before settling the day at $8.772, up 38.4 cents from Wednesday’s close.

The market was almost evenly divided between mostly small gains and losses Tuesday but leaning slightly to the downside — even more so if one gives extra weight to the huge declines in the Rockies that took quotes as low as 40 cents and left a couple of points averaging less than a dollar. Much of the U.S. is in a transition period from unusual recent heat to temperatures more befitting the approach of mid-October.

With most of the journalists and court watchers gone, jurors in the trial of Enron Corp. founder Kenneth Lay and former CEO Jeffrey Skilling begin their third day of deliberations Monday in Houston. However, there is no rest for Lay, who is expected to be back on the stand in a different trial Monday to defend himself against four counts of bank fraud for personal loans he took out from three banks. His fate will be decided not by a jury but by presiding U.S. District Judge Sim Lake.

The cash market was mixed again Friday, but leaning considerably more to the downside than on Thursday. Several points were flat, while losses ranged to about 30 cents and gains got as high as about 15 cents. The chilly West had most of the advancing points.

The cash market was mixed again Friday, but leaning considerably more to the downside than on Thursday. Several points were flat, while losses ranged to about 30 cents and gains got as high as about 15 cents. The chilly West had most of the advancing points.

The cash market was mixed again Friday, but leaning considerably more to the downside than on Thursday. Several points were flat, while losses ranged to about 30 cents and gains got as high as about 15 cents. The chilly West had most of the advancing points.

The cash market was mixed again Friday, but leaning considerably more to the downside than on Thursday. Several points were flat, while losses ranged to about 30 cents and gains got as high as about 15 cents. The chilly West had most of the advancing points.