Morning

After checking higher yesterday morning, natural gas futures made another push to the upside early in the afternoon as traders digested the latest natural gas storage supply data. The October contract received the biggest boost, shuffling 6.1 cents higher to close at $2.420.

After failing to test support in the mid $2.90s following a lower open Wednesday morning, natural gas futures contracts worked their way modestly higher in the afternoon as traders elected to look past another robust storage build to focus on hot weather and technical concerns. The September contract led the advance, rising 6.5 cents to close at $3.036. Estimated volume echoed the market’s tentative nature as only 60,979 contracts changed hands.

“No storm hype here,” a Gulf Coast producer said Friday morning in classic understatement. Usually the approach of a tropical storm toward the Gulf of Mexico production area is a surefire guarantee of higher gas prices, but it was not to be this time. Despite the likelihood of increasing offshore shut-ins over the weekend, traders sent cash prices lower by anywhere from a couple of cents to nearly 30 cents at border-SoCalGas; most declines were on either side of a dime.

After failing to sustain a fresh 10-day high notched yesterday morning, natural gas futures tumbled lower Monday as traders once again eschewed the long side of the market for more than a couple hours. The prompt August contract finished at $3.153, 6.5 cents lower for the day and 18.2 cents off its high water mark for the session. The losses were also seen in the out months, which, for the most part, experienced more severe losses. The winter strip declined 8.1 cents to $3.867 and the 12-month strip dropped a cool 8 cents to $3.619.

Bulls and bears took turns yesterday in the gas pit at Nymex as light buying pressure throughout the morning morphed subtly into selling interest in the afternoon. As a result, prices did not stray very far from center with most months able to eke out minimal advances for the session. The July contract finished at $3.747, which was 1.3 cents higher on the day.

Adding to losses that began in the Sunday evening/Monday morning Access trading session, natural gas futures accelerated lower Monday as traders continued to price in the impact of seemingly plentiful supply in a market that is lacking a strong demand component. At the closing bell, the prompt June contract was 25.1 cents lower at $4.239. The July contract followed suit, also tumbling 25.1 cents to close at $4.314.

For the third week in a row, natural gas futures came underheavy selling pressure in the Sunday evening/Monday morningovernight Access trading session, initiating a gap lower open whenregular open-outcry trading resumed Monday at 9:30 a.m. (ET). As itturned out, that was about all the excitement the market couldhandle for one day because prices remained almost unchanged,slipping only 2.9 cents through the session as traders elected toremain mostly on the sidelines. Although the change throughout theday was small, the damage done overnight was significant, demotingthe March contract to $5.821, 38.9 cents beneath Friday’s close.

Citing forecasts of moderating Midcontinent temperatures,Williams said it will lift a systemwide OFO this morning. The OFOwas issued Dec. 16 (see Daily GPI, Dec. 19).

Pacific Gas & Electric and Sonat did not extend OFOs beyondTuesday, and MRT is letting its System Protection Warning expirethis morning.