Markets

Physical natural gas for Wednesday delivery continued to keep the December slide alive Tuesday as obscenely warm temperatures dominated the East and Midwest.

January natural gas is set to open 3 cents lower Tuesday morning at $1.88 as traders discount Monday’s rally and anticipate renewed selling pressure consistent with a weak weather outlook. Overnight oil markets were mixed.

January natural gas is expected to open 4 cents higher Monday morning at $1.81 as near-term trades factor in a slight cooling. Overnight oil markets fell.

Natural gas for delivery Tuesday managed to hold steady in Monday trading as declines in the Northeast were just able to offset broad-based gains at most market points.

January natural gas is expected to open unchanged Friday morning at $1.76 in spite of adjustments to less temperature moderation and higher energy demand. Overnight oil markets were mixed.

Traders, by and large, elected to take a pass on three-day deals for natural gas deliveries over the weekend and including Monday.

January natural gas is set to open 5 cents higher Thursday morning at $1.84 as the seemingly never-ending string of successive warmer forecasts was broken. Heating requirements were seen slightly higher. Overnight oil markets were mixed.

Natural gas futures inched lower Thursday morning after the Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported a storage withdrawal for the week ending Dec. 11 that was less than what traders had been expecting.

Physical natural gas for Friday delivery traded nominally higher Thursday as supportive power pricing and somewhat tempered weather forecasts enabled solid double-digit gains at eastern points.