Momentum

Physical gas prices continued to move higher Tuesday as momentum carried forward from Monday’s surge and quotes at eastern points advanced by nearly a half-dollar. Futures bulls are beginning to stir, but short-term traders aren’t buying any kind of sustained advance. February futures advanced 2.9 cents to $2.554 and March was up by 2.1 cents to $2.601. March crude oil shed 63 cents to $98.95/bbl.

Harnessing the momentum from Tuesday’s 15.3-cent plummet in December natural gas futures, traders continued to probe the downside Wednesday with mixed results. After starting the regular session with a low of $3.733, the prompt month contract reached a high of $3.800 just after 1 p.m. EDT before trimming lower to close at $3.749, down 3.2 cents from Tuesday’s regular session finish.

November natural gas inched lower Friday as buying momentum from Thursday faded and traders continued to focus on a market burdened by a host of negative supply-demand factors. They suggested that prices could work nearly 40 cents lower from present levels. At the close November had drifted 0.1 cent lower to $3.629 and December had fallen 0.8 cent to $3.826. December crude oil gained $1.33 to $87.40/bbl.

Industry backers are putting momentum into Canada’s second planned liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal planned in British Columbia (BC) as a global sales outlet for small- to medium-sized, independent producers.

Industry backers are putting momentum into Canada’s second planned liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal planned in British Columbia (BC) as a global sales outlet for small- to medium-sized, independent producers.

June natural gas futures continued to flounder Monday as traders see no upward momentum and look for a test of key psychological support. At the close June futures had fallen 8.1 cents to $4.154 and July had retreated 8.1 cents as well to $4.216. June crude oil, however, rocketed higher by $5.37 to $102.55/bbl.

Continuing the downward momentum from the previous week (see Shale Daily, April 11), the number of rigs drilling for oil and gas in U.S. unconventional plays dropped by another 1% for the week ending April 15, according to NGI’s Shale Daily Unconventional Rig Count.

The cash price rally that began rather timidly at the start of this week continued to gain momentum Wednesday as cooler weather trends manifested themselves in the Midwest and South. Prices rose at all points despite expectations that cold spells going into the weekend would be short-lived.

The value of global oil and gas deals reached $85 billion during 3Q2010, but U.S. shale gas deals in the quarter lost the momentum from the first half of the year, according to a survey by Evaluate Energy Inc., which tracks global merger and acquisition (M&A) activity on a daily basis.