Whistles

Unlike last week, there were no bells or whistles Thursday morning as the Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported that 20 Bcf was removed from storage for the week ended Jan. 6. While the number was well within industry expectations, February natural gas futures ultimately broke below the psychological $9 level for the first time since the September contract did it in Aug. 2005, settling Thursday at $8.943, down 29.5 cents from Wednesday’s close.