Staged

Cash prices overall staged a broad rally Monday with an average gain in the double digits. Northeast and West Coast points were notably strong as power generation was reported as lean and next-day loads were forecast to increase. Gulf and eastern locations were also strong. At the close of trading December futures had fallen 7.1 cents to $3.719 and January had lost 6.7 cents to $3.837. January crude oil vaulted $2.36 to $89.28/bbl.

Cash prices overall were 7 cents higher Monday on average as prices staged a broad rally with only a handful of points in the loss column. Midcontinent, East, and Northeast locations were strong. Futures trading was generally lackluster for the early part of the session, then declined as traders absorbed a survey showing expectations of lower prices next week. At the close November had fallen 16.5 cents to $3.452 and December had slumped 17.9 cents to $3.768. November crude oil slumped $1.32 on its last trading day to $88.73/bbl.

With the exception of a few Northeast points, physical prices staged a broad rally Tuesday, averaging gains of nearly 11 cents. Moderating temperatures in New England prompted lower quotes on Northeast pipes, and futures managed to join in the rally as well. At the close of futures trading August had gained 7.0 cents to $3.187 and September had risen 6.6 cents to $3.177. September crude oil added 36 cents to $88.50/bbl.

Physical gas for weekend and Monday delivery staged a broad rally Friday with overall market gains on average of more than a nickel. Rockies and East Texas points were strong, but most Northeast and Eastern locations were solidly in the win column as well. Futures made it to new highs, giving new life to the bullish case. At the close of futures trading August had risen 8.2 cents to $3.081 and September was 9.5 cents higher at $3.076. August crude oil fell $1.22 to $91.44/bbl.

November natural gas staged a furious end-of-week rally Friday as traders factored in cooler weather and holders of short positions may have figured that the outlook couldn’t get much better and decided to cover. November jumped 17.2 cents to $3.703 and December rose 14.6 cents to $3.960. November crude oil surged $2.57 to $86.42/bbl.

After slumping the last two days, natural gas cash market averages across the country staged a meager rebound on Thursday for Friday delivery despite the fact that futures prices continued to decline.

May natural gas futures staged a healthy late-session rally Thursday to close in positive territory after surviving what could have been a damaging blow to the bullish cause after the release of government inventory data. At the end of the day May futures were 3.4 cents higher at $4.389 and June rose 3.2 cents to settle at $4.458. May crude oil vaulted $2.45 to $106.72/bbl.

April natural gas futures staged a sharp rally Friday as traders noted deeply oversold conditions that were ripe for a short-covering rally. In the words of one trader it was “bound” to happen. At the end of the day April had risen 13.3 cents to $4.005 and May had gained 13.3 cents as well to $4.073. April crude oil tacked on 60 cents to $97.88/bbl.

February natural gas futures staged a double-digit advance Wednesday as traders factored in incrementally colder forecasts in the 11- to 15-day period shown by popular weather models. At the close February futures rose 13.6 cents to $4.561 and March added 13.0 cents to $4.576. February crude oil fell 52 cents to $90.86/Bbl.