Strength

Bolstered primarily by fresh screen strength and also by hot weather in the Gulf Coast states and much of the West, the initial May aftermarket was launched Friday with across-the-board advances over end-of-May numbers. A few points were confined to single-digit gains, but the overall market’s upticks ranged from about a dime to 30 cents.

Responding to the financial strength of Loews Corp., Texas Gas Transmission LLC’s (formerly Texas Gas Transmission Corp.) new parent company, Moody’s Investors Service upgraded the pipeline company’s senior unsecured credit rating to Baa1 from B3. It also assigned a first-time rating of Baa2 senior unsecured to its new immediate parent company, holding company TGT Pipeline LLC. The rating outlooks for both companies are stable.

Responding to the financial strength of Loews Corp., Texas Gas Transmission LLC’s (formerly Texas Gas Transmission Corp.) new parent company, Moody’s Investors Service upgraded the pipeline company’s senior unsecured credit rating to Baa1 from B3. It also assigned a first-time rating of Baa2 senior unsecured to its new immediate parent company, holding company TGT Pipeline LLC. The rating outlooks for both companies are stable.

The 40 cents-plus screen spike of the day before was the most frequently cited factor in Tuesday’s muscle-flexing cash market, but rising temperatures in the South, storage injection demand and the end of a Rockies transportation constraint also drew mention. Double-digit gains ruled the day at most points, accompanied by triple-digit rebounds for CIG, Cheyenne Hub, Questar and San Juan-Bondad. Significant nuclear outages, while little changed from before, also helped bolster gas prices.

Adding to strength experienced in the overnight access trading session, natural gas futures galloped higher Monday as short-covering made a indelible imprint on a market otherwise devoid of much trading liquidity. After gapping higher at the opening bell, the prompt June contract received a boost by supportive technical features as well as reports of nuclear unit problems. It closed at $5.689, up 43.4 cents for the session.

Buoyed by sustained strength in exports as well as snap reactions to cold fronts on commodity markets, Canadian forecasters have raised their expectations for 2003 natural gas prices.

A modest show of strength in natural gas futures was no match for the continuing erosion of heating demand in most regions Tuesday, sources said. Wednesday’s remaining pockets of chill were expected to be confined to the Pacific Northwest, sections of the Upper Plains and Upper Midwest along the Canadian border, and the northern portions of the Northeast.

In a surprising show of strength considering the weak underlying cash prices and a bearish storage report (7 Bcf injection) announced Thursday morning, natural gas futures rallied back to the mid-$5.20s late Thursday morning. However, buying dried up for the expiring April contract and sellers were waiting to push it lower at the closing bell. At $5.146, April completed its tenure as prompt month up 4.9 cents on the day, but down 30% since becoming prompt month. The new prompt month, May, surged 9.3 cents to close at $5.24.

After showing much strength going into the weekend, prices returned to major softening mode in most cases Monday. Dollar-plus declines reigned throughout the East and approached $6 at Chicago citygates despite a sizeable snowstorm being expected to hit the city Tuesday afternoon.