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Change was in the air right from the outset of natural gas futures trading Wednesday. After opening higher in three out of the last four sessions, gas futures gapped lower at the opening bell Wednesday amid a concert of fund and local selling. However, when it became apparent that last week’s lows in the mid $2.70s were unobtainable, the market reversed its direction and climbed through several key levels of resistance in the last hour of trading. The August contract gained 15.3 cents to close at $3.042, its highest daily settle since July 3. At 151,295, volume was extremely heavy.

Change was in the air right from the outset of natural gas futures trading Wednesday. After opening higher in three out of the last four sessions, gas futures gapped lower at the opening bell Wednesday amid a concert of fund and local selling. However, when it became apparent that last week’s lows in the mid $2.70s were unobtainable, the market reversed its direction and climbed through several key levels of resistance in the last hour of trading. The August contract gained 15.3 cents to close at $3.042, its highest daily settle since July 3. At 151,295, volume was extremely heavy.

Occidental Petroleum Corp. on Monday posted net income for the second quarter of $240 million ($0.64 per share), compared with $473 million ($1.27 per share) for the second quarter 2001. The company attributed the decline primarily to weaker natural gas prices. There were no special items recorded for the quarter, compared to earnings before special items of $466 million ($1.25 per share) for the second quarter 2001.

Occidental Petroleum Corp. on Monday posted net income for the second quarter of $240 million ($0.64 per share), compared with $473 million ($1.27 per share) for the second quarter 2001. The company attributed the decline primarily to weaker natural gas prices. There were no special items recorded for the quarter, compared to earnings before special items of $466 million ($1.25 per share) for the second quarter 2001.

Despite NiSource Inc.’s strong earnings posted for the fourth quarter and full year 2001, Moody’s Investor Services on Friday downgraded the company’s senior debt to Baa3 and its subsidiaries to Baa2, noting that the “outlook remains negative.” Moody’s said the downgrades reflect higher-than-expected debt levels and weaker-than-expected cash flow from the company’s subsidiaries.

Despite the economic downturn and considerably milder weather, NiSource Inc. posted net income of $66.9 million ($0.32 per diluted share) for the fourth quarter of 2001, compared to a net income loss of $4.2 million ($0.02 loss per diluted share) for the equivalent quarter in 2000. The company also had a strong full year, turning a loss in 2000 into a sizeable gain in 2001. The company reported $216.2 million ($1.03 per diluted share) in 2001 net income, compared to $150.9 million ($1.12 per diluted share) in 2000.

Despite the economic downturn and considerably milder weather, NiSource Inc. posted net income of $66.9 million ($0.32 per diluted share) for the fourth quarter of 2001, compared to a net income loss of $4.2 million ($0.02 loss per diluted share) for the equivalent quarter in 2000. The company also had a strong full year, turning a loss in 2000 into a sizeable gain in 2001. The company reported $216.2 million ($1.03 per diluted share) in 2001 net income, compared to $150.9 million ($1.12 per diluted share) in 2000.

Kicking off 2002 on a strong note, IntercontinentalExchange (ICE) posted a notional value of trades done on Jan. 9 on its on-line exchange at more than $4.3 billion. The amount marked a 75% increase over December’s average of approximately $2.5 billion, which was the record month for the year 2001. “While ICE already experienced incredible growth in 2001 with a 15 fold increase in number of trades executed on our platform compared to last year, the start of the New Year is proving again that we have a very strong platform that perfectly fits the demands of the current market,” said Jeffrey Sprecher, CEO of IntercontinentalExchange. “With the recent addition of many new trading participants and the plans we have in store for the addition of OTC clearing to provide credit amelioration that the market desperately desires, we are looking forward to even stronger growth in the new year.”

Kicking off 2002 on a strong note, IntercontinentalExchange (ICE) posted a notional value of trades done on Jan. 9 on its on-line exchange at more than $4.3 billion. The amount marked a 75% increase over December’s daily average of $2.5 billion, which was the record month for the year 2001.