Natural Gas Price Fundamental Daily Forecast
Natural gas futures finished higher on Friday, underpinned by consistent
liquefied natural gas (LNG) demand and a bullish government report for
the week-ending December 11. Helping to generate a small spike to the
upside during the session were forecasts calling for freezing
temperatures.To get more news about
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On Friday, February natural gas futures settled at $2.603, up $0.033 or 1.28%.
Despite the strength in the futures market, the spot market was under
pressure as traders booked profits after nearly week-long gains and
squared positions ahead of the weekend. According to Natural Gas
Intelligence (NGI), the Spot Gas National Average dropped 55.0 cents to
$3.010. The catalyst driving the price action was the passing of a major
snowstorm that hit the Northeast early in the week, but dissipated by
Friday.
Short-Term Weather Outlook
Forecasters expected winter conditions to further ease over the
weekend, with warmer-than-normal conditions spreading over most of the
Lower 48 early in the Christmas holiday week. However, a widespread
blast of cold was expected to arrive by Christmas Eve and last for
several days, generating strong national heading demand, NatGasWeather
said.
“A mild break is likely over much of the United States near December
28, but with the potential for cold to return December 29-January 1,”
the forecaster said. That set up a potentially favorable mid-range
outlook for domestic natural gas demand and supporting futures on
Friday.
[fx-article-ad]LNG Feed Gas Volumes Steady
NGI said on Friday that “LNG Feed gas volumes, meanwhile, hovered near
11 Bcf as trading commenced Friday. That was on par with the prior day
and reflected steady and solid demand for U.S. exports as winter weather
settles across much of Asia and Europe and heating fuel needs mount.”
Delayed Reaction to slightly Bullish Government Storage Report
Natural gas prices rebounded on Friday after traders took another look
at Thursdays Energy Information Administration (EIA) storage report.
The initial reaction to the report was bearish with the market posting a
bearish technical closing price reversal top.
However, there was no follow-through to the downside on Friday which
suggests the report was perceived as bullish and that traders believe
stronger seasonal heating demand is here to stay after a dismal month of
November.
The EIA reported a 122 Bcf withdrawal from inventories for the
week-ending December 1. This was marginally higher than the median
estimates found in major polls.