Round

November natural gas futures on Wednesday posted gains for a second straight day on what could be a round of technical buying, despite the arrival of natural gas storage injection data Thursday morning that is expected to be larger than both year-ago and five-year average comparisons for yet another week.

Coming off of Wednesday’s decline on a round of profit taking, the July natural gas futures contract on Thursday got most of it back as the prompt-month contract gained 18.4 cents to finish at $5.162.

Natural gas futures traders took their foot off the accelerator on Wednesday as the July contract came off fresh highs on a round of profit-taking to close back below $5 at $4.978, down 21.1 cents from Tuesday’s finish.

Still reeling from the bludgeoning Thursday tied to a round of bearish natural gas supply news, the natural gas futures market continued to sink closer to the $3.810 low for the larger downtrend. June futures recorded a low of $3.885 before closing at $3.920 Friday, down 6 cents from Thursday’s finish and 42.3 cents below the previous week’s close.

July natural gas futures values declined for the fifth consecutive session on Wednesday, but some traders are expecting a late round of short-covering to take place ahead of the contract’s expiration on Friday. The prompt month dropped 11.8 cents Wednesday to finish at $3.761, while August crude shaved off 57 cents to close at $68.67/bbl.

Over-the-counter (OTC) energy derivatives trading was spared the recent round of cost-cutting among capital-starved financial institutions because it “was generating significant revenues and represented a rare opportunity for continued profits and growth,” according to a study by consultancy Greenwich Associates.

Over-the-counter (OTC) energy derivatives trading was spared the recent round of cost-cutting among capital-starved financial institutions because it “was generating significant revenues and represented a rare opportunity for continued profits and growth,” according to a study by consultancy Greenwich Associates.

Kern River Gas Transmission Co. is holding a nonbinding open season through June 18 for firm year-round transportation service from receipt points in Wyoming and Utah to delivery points into California. Any new expansion service resulting from the open season would be available by Jan. 1, 2013.

The Energy Department secretary nominee, eminent physicist Steven Chu, sailed unscathed last week through an extensive round of questions from Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee members, who generally indicated their respect and support for the Nobel laureate and director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Members then launched into their pet projects, spanning a wide range of energy options for the new administration to pursue.