Struggled

While many energy companies may have struggled financially through the second quarter, Kinder Morgan Inc. beat Wall Street estimates with a 45% increase in net income and a 44% increase in diluted earnings per common share compared to the second quarter of 2001. It also doubled its quarterly dividend to 10 cents/share in its first dividend increase since the company was formed via merger in October 1999.

While many energy companies may have struggled financially through the second quarter, Kinder Morgan Inc. beat Wall Street estimates with a 45% increase in net income and a 44% increase in diluted earnings per common share compared to the second quarter of 2001 and doubled its quarterly dividend to 10 cents/share in its first dividend increase since the company was formed via merger in October 1999.

While many energy companies may have struggled financially through the second quarter, Kinder Morgan Inc. beat Wall Street estimates with a 45% increase in net income and a 44% increase in diluted earnings per common share compared to the second quarter of 2001 and doubled its quarterly dividend to 10 cents/share in its first dividend increase since the company was formed via merger in October 1999.

Prices were generally a bit higher Wednesday as traders with heavy hearts struggled to resume business as close as possible to normal. There was a decided lack of consistency as production-area numbers ranged from mildly softer to about a dime higher, and market-area deliveries were similarly varied.

After gapping higher on the open for the third straight session,natural gas futures struggled sideways Thursday as bulls cooledtheir heels following a 7-day, 25% price rally. That choppy tradingactivity, along with an early foray into negative territory wereenough to fill in yesterday’s chart gap and prompting severaltraders to look for profit taking today.

Buoyed by a late short-covering rally natural gas futuresstruggled back up to just below unchanged yesterday as traderschose to wait on the sidelines ahead of the release of freshstorage data. The closing up-tick was the only feature bulls couldstomach in a market preoccupied by continued mild weather acrossmuch of the country. The February contract finished down 0.8 centsat $2.168 following a session that saw prices match Tuesday’s $2.20high but plumb a half-cent below Tuesday’s $2.13 low.