The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) on Thursday reported an injection of 32 Bcf natural gas into storage for the week ended Aug. 25. The result exceeded market expectations but proved lean relative to prior years, leaving Nymex natural gas futures trading in a narrow range.

At A Glance:

The October natural gas futures contract debuted on strong footing Wednesday, which notably preceded the government inventory report. After surprising to the low side last week, the potential for another bullish stat sent the October Nymex contract up 13.4 cents day/day to $2.796/MMBtu. November climbed 11.9 cents to $3.181.

Spot natural gas prices were mixed as power outages hit the...