Returned

Marathon Oil Corp. has agreed to pay $3.5 billion to acquire the Eagle Ford Shale assets of Hilcorp Resources Holdings LP. Along with other transactions expected to close by the end of this year, Marathon’s Eagle Ford position is expected to more than double to 285,000 net acres, the company said.

Triple-digit spikes returned to most Northeast citygates as significantly colder conditions were anticipated for Sunday and Monday, but in the rest of the cash market it was even greater softness Friday than before as the previous day’s 17.4-cent drop by prompt-month futures, the industrial demand loss experienced over a weekend, and cool to merely chilly temperatures being dominant from the western end of the South through much of California contributed to an overall bearish mood.

After working a little higher in early Thursday morning trade, the October natural gas futures contract returned to probe the downside after the Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported that 58 Bcf was injected for the week ending Sept. 3.

With the momentum behind Monday’s rebound now fully dissipated, October natural gas futures on Wednesday returned to the recent business of scouting lower values. The prompt-month contract reached a low of $3.708 before closing the regular session at $3.762, down 5.4 cents from Tuesday.

Two days and 40 cents higher appeared to be enough for natural gas futures traders for the short term as futures values returned to earth on Tuesday. The May contract sliced 18.1 cents off of its price to close the regular session at $4.096.

Two days and 40 cents higher appeared to be enough for natural gas futures traders for the short term as futures values returned to earth on Tuesday. The May contract sliced 18.1 cents off of its price to close the regular session at $4.096.

Tuesday’s uptick in near-month natural gas futures was exposed as mere short-covering on Wednesday as the May contract returned to the recent trend of plumbing the downside. The front-month contract reached a low of $3.860 before closing out the regular session at $3.869, down 10.4 cents from Tuesday’s finish.

Tuesday’s uptick in near-month natural gas futures was exposed as mere short-covering on Wednesday as the May contract returned to the recent trend of plumbing the downside. The front-month contract reached a low of $3.860 before closing out the regular session at $3.869, down 10.4 cents from Tuesday’s finish.

Numbers stronger than weekend declines but still mostly softer.