One marketer was certain it had to be psychological factors thatsent most markets lower by various amounts Tuesday because, as henoted, fundamentals and the screen indicated an upward pathinstead. Few points besides Malin and the PG&E citygate managedgains as the majority ranged from essentially flat to down about adollar in the Northern Natural Gas market area.
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Price Rises Get Smaller; Some Western Points Soften
The cash market showed signs of fatigue Wednesday in strugglingto maintain this week’s upward momentum. Most new gains were in the5-15 cents range, and some western points were beating modestretreats. However, cash may get its second wind today after thescreen reacted quite bullishly to AGA’s first report of net storagewithdrawals this season.
Western Prices Dive, But East Softness Mostly Mild
Prices continued to soften Friday but except for some steepdrops in the West, the weekend declines were considerably smallerthan many traders had been expecting.
Near-Month Futures Soften, Drop a Nickel
After three consecutive days of increasing prices, the next fivenatural gas futures contract months on the New York MercantileExchange each dumped 5-6 cents yesterday, showing a little weaknessand slightly less volatility than average over the past coupleweeks. The downticks illustrate the continued uncertainty regardingthe long-term direction of the market.
Swing Flat to Slightly Lower; April Numbers Soften
The swing market somewhat resembled a popular breakfast foodWednesday: almost as flat as could be, with a slight lean towardthe softer side.
April Prices Continue to Soften for Weekend
Late-April prices maintained their weakening ways Friday,although most of the declines were not as steep as on “BlackThursday,” as one producer called it. The largest drops tended tobe concentrated at Western points, especially with Malin andPG&E citygates falling at double-digit rates again. Theirsoftness was exacerbated by PG&E’s Stage 2 OFO that becameeffective Saturday. The OFO, prompted by high system linepack,carried penalties of $5/dth for any deliveries exceeding 110% of acustomer’s nominated volumes.
Cash Prices Soften into Holiday Weekend
Marketers were greeted last Thursday morning to something theyhadn’t seen all last week: unequivocally bearish indicators. Ahealthy storage injection, small futures retracement, and wiltingdemand ahead of a holiday weekend had sellers fast out of the chutelooking to unload their gas before the market cratered. This leftprices down anywhere from a couple of cents to almost a dime.However, one source said there was a certain “warm and fuzzy”feeling about trading this week and he looks for continued strengthMonday.