Moderately

With California acting as the out-of-step market yet again,overall swing prices ranged from flat to moderately higher Monday,with Pacific Northwest points achieving gains of 12-20 cents. Awinter storm that developed over the Upper Plains during theweekend was moving eastward and was largely responsible for themild post-weekend rally, sources said.

While the rest of the swing market began February flows atprices only moderately up or down from last-of-January levels innearly all cases, California numbers spiked in triple-digit amountsWednesday.

Except for moderate California upticks, the cash marketcontinued to soften Friday but by much smaller amounts than the daybefore. Most points ranged from flat to down about 30 cents, butdeclines were larger at Stanfield and several Northeast citygates.

The cash market both calmed down and went further down in mostcases in Thursday’s activity. A majority of points ranged from flatto about 30 cents lower. The notable exceptions were declines ofabout 40 cents or more in California and Transco/Texas Easterncitygates in the Northeast, and on the opposite side of the coinwere gains in the Pacific Northwest and on some Rockies pipes.

Flat to moderately higher prices predominated in a quiet Mondaymarket in which some were out on holiday. The larger advances ofabout a dime or more were concentrated in the Rockies and Southwestbasins.

Weekend prices were moderately higher in the East Friday but offa few cents at most western points as last week’s troublesome heatwave in California continued to subside. Nearly all areas wereseeing lower numbers in late trading, sources said.

The slippage in April swing prices that had begun mildlyWednesday gained more momentum Thursday as quotes fell by about anickel or more almost across the board except in California, led bydrops of about 15 cents at some Northeast citygates. May bidweekprices also softened, but only by a couple of pennies or so in mostcases, sources said.

Other than moderately cooler weather in the West, traders couldfind little fundamental support for cash prices Wednesday yet stillmanaged to push them higher at most points by small amounts ofabout a nickel or less. Two or three Northeast points were the onlyones exhibiting slight softness.

It was time to get out the smelling salts again Tuesday torevive traders swooning from the altitude of Northeast citygates.Quote averages zoomed higher by more than $2 at a few points, andone source reported hearing that intra-day numbers for deliveriesinto the Boston area via Tennessee and Algonquin peaked at $10.