Meteorologists

Boosted by another bullish weather forecast from Salomon Smith Barney meteorologists, natural gas futures spiked to new two-year highs Wednesday as fund and local buying converged at Nymex. The March contract received the biggest buying boost as it topped out at $6.20 before being deposited lower by light afternoon profit taking. It settled at $6.134, up 22.3 cents for the day.