Ratcheting

After ratcheting tentatively higher through the morning hours, natural gas futures sifted lower Friday afternoon as information on the extent of damage to production assets in the Gulf of Mexico was slow in coming. With that November came to rest at $3.739 Friday, up 1.5 cents for the session but down 30.2 cents in its first full week as prompt contract at the New York Mercantile Exchange. At just 77,372, estimated volume was evidence of the market’s uncertainty.