Natural Gas Prices in the US Stabilize
US natural gas futures were little changed around $3.50 per MMBtu on Friday and are on track to end the week down nearly 20%, almost reversing the roughly 20% surge seen in the previous period. Traders assessed a record 360 Bcf withdrawal from US underground natural gas storage last week, which left inventories 27 Bcf below the five-year average, compared with a 143 Bcf surplus in the prior week. Meanwhile, production has begun to recover, with Lower 48 output rising to around 106.6 bcfd in early February from January levels. At the same time, mid-February weather forecasts have shifted markedly warmer particularly across the northeastern US, reducing expected heating demand following last week’s Arctic blast.