Resistance

After etching a 33-cent gain and propelling the market through key resistance Thursday, natural gas bulls cooled their heels Friday in a session that was more about position squaring ahead of the weekend than it was about market direction. At the closing bell the September contract was down 4.5 cents at $5.037. However, by closing above $5.00, the market ratified Thursday’s bull move, potentially setting the stage for more advances this week.

Although still fighting investor resistance on some of its pet projects, Bakersfield, CA-based Tri-Valley Corp., one of California’s more aggressive independent oil/gas developers, Wednesday reported a profit for the third quarter, along with estimates for a profit for all of 2002.

Despite a regional pocket of persistent resistance, Canadian producers keep on expanding their northern frontier of natural gas development by connecting newly-discovered reserves to the pipeline grid. While a small Indian band continued to hold up the action last week in a 50,000-square-mile area of northeastern British Columbia, the industry moved to add an entirely new supply area in the southern Northwest Territories.

With little in the way of fresh fundamental or technical impetus, natural gas futures drifted sideways and lower Tuesday as traders elected to wait for a clearer supply-demand picture to develop. The September contract remained within an extremely tight 5.5-cent range, well beneath Monday’s gap lower open, but safely above support in the $3.03-10 area. At the closing bell, September was 1.7 cents weaker at $3.17.

After opening higher but failing to test resistance at $4.38, natural gas futures checked sideways yesterday as traders caught their breath after Monday’s 25-cent price-erosion. During the open-outcry session Tuesday, the prompt June contract closed at $4.279, just about equally between Monday’s $4.239 close and its $4.32 high.

After a lengthy absence, resistance is redeveloping in Canada tolong-term commitments of significant Canadian gas supplies tomarkets in the United States.

After a lengthy absence, resistance is redeveloping in Canadaagainst any lasting new commitments of significant natural-gassupplies to markets in the United States.

After testing, but not breaching stubborn resistance at $4.60Thursday, natural gas futures tumbled lower Friday as traderselected to take profits ahead of the weekend. The near-month Julycontract was hit with two distinct selling waves during the firsthour of trading Friday, setting the tone for a session in which thecontract slipped 10.3 cents to finish at $4.448.

In what may turn out to be a Pyrrhic victory, bulls weresuccessful on two fronts Friday — testing resistance at $3.00 andposting a gain for the third straight session. However, thoseachievements may have come at a price because even dyed in the woolbulls were shaking their heads after watching heavy selling enterthe market once prices reached over the $3.00 mark.