Values

A Berkshire Hathaway Inc. unit agreed Wednesday to buy Las Vegas utility NV Energy Inc. in a deal that values the company at about $5.59 billion with an enterprise value of close to $10 billion.

The deal that Chesapeake Energy Corp. made on Monday to sell half its leasehold in the Mississippian Lime was calculated at around $2,500/acre gross, or less than $1,000/acre net, not necessarily the price that the market had been expecting. The lower expected price may be attributed to several things, said analysts: foreign firms getting more savvy about undeveloped leaseholds, the value of the formation, or Chesapeake’s hurry to fix its balance sheet.

Physical natural gas values fell at a majority of points on Monday as early weakness in the futures added a soft tone to the market and the market forces of minimal supportive weather and ample if not burdensome storage prevailed.

Natural gas and oil drilling in Ohio could create 65,000 jobs and add nearly $5 billion to state coffers by 2014, according to an academic study.

Central New York Oil and Gas Co.’s (CNYOG) proposed MARC-I Hub Line Project, which would deliver additional Marcellus Shale and Trenton Black River natural gas to Northeast markets, may not be needed, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Continuing to take cues from the sagging natural gas futures complex, cash market values far and wide slid for a second straight day on Wednesday, shrugging off forecasts for a heat-wave return for much of the East.

Finally responding to the 40.2-cent drop in front-month natural gas futures values from last Thursday’s high of $4.983, cash point averages across the board came off significantly on Tuesday for Wednesday delivery.

Unable to ignore the 22-cent hike in April natural gas futures values on Thursday, cash point averages across the country followed suit on Friday with upticks mostly between a dime and 20 cents.

Natural gas futures values knee-jerked higher Thursday morning following the news from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) that 135 Bcf was withdrawn from underground storage for the week ending Dec. 31. However, the sentiment was short-lived as February futures declined in the afternoon to finish the regular session at $4.434, down 3.9 cents from Wednesday’s close.