Reclaiming

Fueled by Wednesday’s 30.6-cent gain, natural gas futures surged higher at the open yesterday as traders salivated over the probability of another sub-100 Bcf storage figure next Wednesday. However, the combination of mild weather forecasts for the weekend and nervous new length proved to be too much, leaving bulls almost defenseless as prices cascaded lower in the afternoon. The August contract closed at $3.128, down 14.8 cents on its penultimate trading day.