Returning

Completing a week of wild roller-coaster ups and downs before basically returning to where it had begun the week, the May natural gas futures contract on Friday streaked higher to close the day at $4.070, up 16.1 cents from Thursday’s close but 1.6 cents less than the previous week’s finish.

Completing a week of wild roller-coaster ups and downs before basically returning to where it had begun the week, the May natural gas futures contract on Friday streaked higher to close the day at $4.070, up 16.1 cents from Thursday’s close but 1.6 cents less than the previous week’s finish.

Don’t count the cash market out quite yet. Despite the previous day’s 9-cent drop by April futures and warming trends returning spring temperatures to much of the South, prices were up at virtually all points Tuesday — in most cases by larger amounts than on Monday.

Don’t count the cash market out quite yet. Despite the previous day’s 9-cent drop by April futures and warming trends returning spring temperatures to much of the South, prices were up at virtually all points Tuesday — in most cases by larger amounts than on Monday.

Prices were up by generally small amounts at most points Monday as seasonal winter weather was returning to most of the East. The previous Friday’s surge of 20.4 cents by futures and the return of industrial load from its usual weekend hiatus also helped to boost the cash market.

Prices were up by generally small amounts at most points Monday as seasonal winter weather was returning to most of the East. The previous Friday’s surge of 20.4 cents by futures and the return of industrial load from its usual weekend hiatus also helped to boost the cash market.

Based primarily on the previous day’s 25.1-cent run-up by October futures, but also getting a slight boost from a pinch of extra cooling load returning to the desert Southwest and parts of the South along with forecasts of Friday lows in the 30s in upstate New York and some New England locations, the cash market was flat to higher across the board Thursday.

Forecasts of warmer weather returning in the Midwest, combined with the existing high heat levels from the south-central U.S. through interior California and the hint of a potential new tropical storm in the central Atlantic, were able to rally several points by small amounts Monday following the previous Friday’s across the board losses. The return of industrial load from its usual weekend drop provided modest extra bullish support.

Prices rose by double-digit amounts at all points but one Monday. Colder weather was returning in most of the East and the previous Friday’s 34.9-cent jump by February futures provided additional support for Monday’s cash market. The return of industrial load from its typical weekend hiatus also played a role in the price strength.