-- US natural gas futures moved higher in midday trading on Thursday after a larger-than-expected storage build and updated weather forecasts supported prices.
The front-month Henry Hub contract and the continuous benchmark both rose 0.92% to $2.634 per million British thermal units.
The US Energy Information Administration reported its third consecutive weekly inventory increase, saying stockpiles in underground storage rose by 59 billion cubic feet to 1,970 Bcf for the week ending Apr. 10. The build exceeded market expectations for a 55 Bcf increase, according to data from Investing.com.
Inventories stood 126 Bcf above year-ago levels and 108 Bcf above the five-year average of 1,862 Bcf, but remain within the five-year historical range, the EIA said.
Regarding prices, NRG Energy said, "Overall, the near-term market has found a new floor since the lows that were experienced in early January."
NRG said near-term weather forecasts point to significant heat anomalies across the South and East, with a cold front expected to move through by the weekend. This will be followed by a brief warm-up in the Plains and cooling conditions across the Northeast. The latter half of the outlook suggests gradual moderation, with cooler risks returning across much of the country, particularly in the central US.
On fundamentals, Aegis Hedging said weaker consumption has offset softer production in recent weeks.
"While production may have been low these last two weeks, total consumption has been even lower," the firm said, citing S&P data.
"Total consumption (power, rescom, and industrial demand) has been below 70 Bcf per day for about a week now," it said.
Production eased across much of the Lower 48 states but remained near 103.5 Bcf/d of dry gas output, supported by gains in Texas, Aegis said.
On exports, Aegis noted that Corpus Christi LNG Stage 3 Train 6 could begin flowing gas by May, while Golden Pass LNG is expected to reach about 450 million cubic feet per day next week, signaling improving throughput consistency.