Plunges

Despite a trend toward milder weather in virtually all regions,the great majority of the swing market was seeing flat to slightlyhigher prices Wednesday. Considering the weather and little supportfrom a moderately higher Nymex screen, it must have been cash-outprices that kept late-December quotes from continuing to fall, onesource suggested.

Flat pricing dominated the cash market again Thursday, butregion-specific variations also continued. While numbers saw littlechange in the Gulf Coast, Midcontinent/Midwest and Southwest,Northeast deliveries took a dive and Rockies pipes saw gains ofabout a nickel or so. The Rockies and Northeast price movements,though divergent, were based on the same influences: changingweather. The East Coast is entering a warm-up period; meanwhile,recent record-setting warmth in the Rockies was a thing of the pastas a stormy cool front moved through the region toward the Plainsstates.

As many had expected, prospects of severe heat averted much ofthe softness that normally accompanies a Fourth of July weekend,considered the year’s lowest demand period. But that was true onlyin eastern markets Friday. The bottom was dropping out for pricesin the West, particularly at the Southern California border.

As a Daily GPI source had predicted Monday, that day’s futuresrun-up provided enough momentum to keep most cash market points onthe rise Tuesday. But don’t bet the farm on cash firmness tocontinue today, not after the screen’s headlong plunge Tuesday,several traders said. Despite heat waves remaining in the West andSouth, there is not enough in the way of fundamentals to counterthe screen’s negative influence, they said.