Wait

Taking more of a wait-and-see approach ahead of Thursday morning’s storage report, August natural gas futures traded within a slim 12.5-cent range on Wednesday before settling at $7.087, up a mere 1.4 cents on the day.

If you don’t like the direction of the natural gas futures market, wait five minutes and it is likely to change. Proving once again that the market can be volatile, the December contract on Monday bounced higher after testing below the $7.00 support area in early trading.

If you don’t like the direction of the natural gas futures market, wait five minutes and it is likely to change. Proving once again that the market can be volatile, the December contract on Monday bounced higher after testing below the $7.00 support area in early trading.

Shell Exploration & Production Co. will wait to shut down its Mars tension leg platform (TLP) in the Gulf of Mexico until early next year to help with disrupted production following Hurricane Ivan, officials said last week. Shell had said previously it would shut down the platform this month to replace flexjoints on both the oil and natural gas export lines.

Shell Exploration & Production Co. will wait to shut down its Mars tension leg platform (TLP) in the Gulf of Mexico until early next year to help with disrupted production following Hurricane Ivan, officials said Monday. Shell had said previously it would shut down the platform this month to replace flexjoints on both the oil and natural gas export lines.

Shell Exploration & Production Co. will wait to shut down its Mars tension leg platform (TLP) in the Gulf of Mexico until early next year to help with disrupted production following Hurricane Ivan, officials said Monday. Shell had said previously it would shut down the platform this month to replace flexjoints on both the oil and natural gas export lines.

As LNG projects continue to be proposed, industry-watchers wait to see which projects will stick and which ones will fade away. As opposed to the civil unrest in Bolivia which has cut off an international consortium-planned LNG facility there, Hunt Oil Co.’s Peruvian project appears to be sailing smooth seas and could begin operation in late 2007, early 2008, building an export/import link between the west coasts of North and South America.

As LNG projects continue to be proposed, industry-watchers wait to see which projects will stick and which ones will fade away. As opposed to the civil unrest in Bolivia which has cut off an international consortium-planned LNG facility there, Hunt Oil Co.’s Peruvian project appears to be sailing smooth seas and could begin operation in late 2007, early 2008, building an export/import link between the west coasts of North and South America.

Following Thursday’s 17-cent price slide, the natural gas futures market was quiet Friday as traders elected to play it safe ahead of the weekend. Bears scored early Friday by carving out a new nine-month low. However, short-covering ensued and succeeded in recouping the day’s losses. The October contract was held to a tight 9.5-cent range Friday, all of which was etched in the first 40 minutes of trading. It closed at $4.483, up a modest 1.2 cents for the session.