Primarily

Bolstered primarily by fresh screen strength and also by hot weather in the Gulf Coast states and much of the West, the initial May aftermarket was launched Friday with across-the-board advances over end-of-May numbers. A few points were confined to single-digit gains, but the overall market’s upticks ranged from about a dime to 30 cents.

The market recorded quite a few small to moderate gains Friday, primarily in the West and Northeast, but most weekend prices ranged from flat to as much as about 20 cents lower. The general softness was attributed to fairly moderate weather in most of the East, typically lower demand over a weekend, and the residual effect of the previous day’s screen plunge.

CMS Energy posted strong third quarter earnings on Thursday, but the good news came with warnings that the dividend may be cut even more to conserve cash, and that write-offs will affect the fourth quarter’s numbers.

CMS Energy posted strong third quarter earnings on Thursday, but the good news came with warnings that the dividend may be cut even more to conserve cash, and that write-offs will affect the fourth quarter’s numbers.

The zeal with which natural gas prices have advanced on the heels of primarily hurricane concerns has some traders checking their spreadsheets and preparing for what may be short-lived trading opportunities.

Spurred primarily by a fresh surge in futures, the cash market realized large increases again Monday, although most of them were smaller than those on Friday. Gains ranged from about a nickel at a couple of Rockies points to more than 40 cents at the Florida citygate; a majority were between a dime and a quarter.

KeySpan Corp. said it expects strong earnings growth in 2002, primarily resulting from an 8% rise in contributions from its core businesses due to oil-to-gas conversions in its New York and New England territories. The company forecasts earnings ranging from $2.70 to $2.85 per share for 2002, which compares to Wall Street estimates between $2.70 and $3 with an average of $2.82. It also reaffirmed earnings this year between $2.50 to $2.60 per share, excluding special items.

Primarily building on upward momentum from the day before and an initially higher screen, the cash market continued to push higher Wednesday with gains that were mostly within a few cents on either side of 20 cents but tended to be greater in the Rockies.

Over two-and-a-half years after the project was announced, Gulfstream Natural Gas System LLC reported that it has received FERC approval to commence mainline pipeline construction in Florida. With this approval, Gulfstream said it now has all major segments of its 753-mile pipeline project under construction and on schedule to deliver natural gas in June 2002.