Never

“Opportunities in the regulated utility business have never beenbetter,” according to UtiliCorp United Chairman Richard C. Green,Jr.

Natural gas bulls never got a chance yesterday as traders shedlong positions in sympathy with falling cash market prices and inanticipation of warming temperatures this week. By the time thedust had cleared and the orders were tabulated, the March contracthad slipped a cool 18 cents lower, tumbling beneath several keylayers of support and easily negating last Friday’s impressivegains.

It is often said markets can fall twice as fast as they rise,and that has never been more evident than it was in the natural gasfutures market over the past two weeks. After all, what took bullsfive and a half days to produce, took the bears just two and a halfto knock down. With a 7.8-cent decline to settle at $2.444, theJanuary contract was 26 cents below Monday’s highs and 0.2 centsbelow its Dec. 10 settle.

Natural Gas Pipeline Co. of America (NGPL) fears that corrective action ordered by FERC with respect to its auction practices, if construed improperly, could boomerang and potentially “nullify” the pipeline’s negotiated-rate authority and “aggravate” its decontracting problems.

November Henry Hub futures burst through the 40-day movingaverage at the open yesterday and never really looked back. Aftercrossing $2.859, speculative fund buyers jumped in, sending thecontract 10.2 cents higher for the day to $2.927/MMBtu. Decembergained 10.7 cents, settling at $3.120. January jumped 9.9 cents to$3.130, and February moved up 7.2 cents to $2.945.

Even as temperatures were shattering records throughout much ofthe Northeast,sending electricity prices spiking near $1000/MWhTuesday, natural gas futures were hit with a wave of selling tokick off the week. Speculative fund traders, who have been longpositions for almost three months now, were prominent sellersearly. But trade and local selling was not far behind, sending theAugust contract to its lowest level since the middle of April. Theprompt month finished down 9.6 cents at $2.191, after carving out a$2.16 bottom. Estimated volume was a robust 124,967.

After being hit with a devastating combination of bearish newsFriday afternoon and Monday morning, traders at the New YorkMercantile Exchange had little choice when the market reopened. TheJuly contract took it on the chin, gapping lower on the open beforeposting a 7.1-cent decline to finish at $2.237. The August contractdid not fare any better, slipping 6.9 cents to $2.268. Estimatedvolume was solid with 78,116 contracts changing hands.

The longevity of the San Juan Basin never ceases to amaze mostindustry observers. Like the Denver Broncos’ John Elway, thewestern producing basin in New Mexico and Colorado just seems tokeep coming back each year to produce even more despite its age andthe endless predictions of its degeneration by its critics.

FERC Chairman James Hoecker issued an ultimatum to warringfactions in the gas industry last week, saying it is now or neverregarding major new initiatives aimed at a more competitive market,while two other commissioners in speeches in different citiesassured gas representatives they were open to debate andalternatives. But it was not clear that anyone was listening, asindustry leaders reportedly were attempting to forma coalition toask for a second delay – this time for six months – in the deadlineto respond to FERC’s proposals. (See Late Breaking News)