Signs

Natural gas prices continue to be volatile, but most signs point to favorable rating trends for the U.S. oil and natural gas sector for the rest of this year and into 2008, according to an industry report card by Standard & Poor’s (S&P).

In the back and forth battle occurring recently in natural gas futures the November contract logged a forth day on Wednesday as it gained 14.7 cents to close at $7.010. Despite signs that the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season is on course to be just as underwhelming as the previous year, some traders point to the market’s seasonal tendency to buy at this juncture.

Colorado’s natural gas drilling shows no signs of slowing down, and because of that, the executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said “nothing could be more critical” than keeping a dialogue with industry open and transparent.

Prices continued Thursday a streak of mixed daily movement that began about three weeks ago, but there were signs of growing weakness setting in that likely means all points will be united in declines Friday. Cooling load was still fairly high in the South and growing significantly in the Northeast, but dropping drastically in the Midwest and much of the West.

With annual production growth rates plummeting from 50% in the late 1990s to flat in 2004, there are clear signs that the Gulf of Mexico has matured. While the recent extended well test of the Jack field in the Lower Tertiary play in the deepwater Gulf holds promise for a production resurgence, significant challenges and enormous risks still cloud the region’s future, according to Gero Farruggio, U.S. Gulf research manager for consulting firm Wood Mackenzie.

With annual production growth rates plummeting from 50% in the late 1990s to flat in 2004, there are clear signs that the Gulf of Mexico has matured. While the recent extended well test of the Jack field in the Lower Tertiary play in the deepwater Gulf holds promise for a production resurgence, significant challenges and enormous risks still cloud the region’s future, according to Gero Farruggio, U.S. Gulf research manager for consulting firm Wood Mackenzie.

Natural gas futures prices showed no signs of recovery Wednesday as the near-month contract tumbled 12.5 cents to end the day at $5.449 and the winter months again fell even harder than the prompt month, indicating steady selling pressure in light of high storage levels and diminishing hurricane concerns. The winter strip (November-March) fell 21.9 cents to $8.783.

Look for some some natural gas to be shut in for want of a place to go before the end of this storage injection season, but longer term all the signs for gas are bullish, according to Devon Energy President John Richels.

Look for some some natural gas to be shut in for want of a place to go before the end of this storage injection season, but longer term all the signs for gas are bullish, according to Devon Energy President John Richels.