Lifted

Spectra Energy Corp.’s (SE) announcement last week that it would accelerate dropdowns to Spectra Energy Partners (SEP) lifted the company’s shares but did not placate activist investor Sandell Asset Management, which Monday called again for further action and threatened to seek changes to the company’s board.

Wintry weather boosted natural gas consumption and has lifted prices, but the trajectory of U.S. supplies largely has remained unchanged, and that means gas prices may “hunt” this year for the right level of gas-to-coal displacement to keep the market balanced, according to an analysis by Barclays Capital.

Cash gas prices on average jumped 63 cents Thursday as forecasts of chilling cold rattled through the markets and lifted New England and Eastern points to multi-dollar gains. Without the stout gains on the Eastern Seaboard, the overall market gain shrinks to just 3 cents.

Raymond James & Associates Inc. last week raised its 4Q2012 natural gas price assumptions by 75 cents and lifted the 2013 forecast by 50 cents, predicting 1Q2013 price “spikes to near $5.00/Mcf.”

Raymond James & Associates Inc. on Monday raised its 4Q2012 natural gas price assumptions by 75 cents and lifted the 2013 forecast by 50 cents, predicting 1Q2013 price “spikes to near $5.00/Mcf.”

Raymond James & Associates Inc. on Monday raised its 4Q2012 natural gas price assumptions by 75 cents and lifted the 2013 forecast by 50 cents, predicting 1Q2013 price “spikes to near $5.00/Mcf.”

Barclays Capital has lifted its natural gas price forecast for the final three months of this year to $3.35/MMBtu, up from $3.00. Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BofA) last week also raised its 2013 gas price forecast.

Friday morning Kinder Morgan Inc.’s Tennessee Gas Pipeline lifted a critical day 1 operational flow order (OFO) that had been in effect for balancing parties downstream of its Station 249 in zones 5 and 6 (see Daily GPI, Aug. 31).

Increased power generation demand for natural gas lifted Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (KMP) gas volumes during the second quarter, but the company is feeling the effects of the abandonment of dry gas drilling by producers and lumpiness in liquids-focused Eagle Ford Shale development, CEO Rich Kinder said during a second quarter earnings conference call Wednesday.