Financial Wire

US Natural Gas Extends Weekly Losses on Bearish Fundamentals Amid US-Iran Diplomacy Signals

-- US natural gas futures posted another weekly decline amid swelling inventories, driven by relatively strong production and weak shoulder-season demand.

The front-month contract price fell over the week to $2.68 per million British thermal units, from $2.72/MMBtu on April 10.

"Natural gas futures traded in an unusually tight range this week, with limited volatility despite a near-term backdrop that remains broadly bearish," Pinebrook Energy Advisors said in a daily note.

The week that started with a reported US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz ended Friday with statements from US President Donald Trump and Iranian officials indicating the waterway would remain open. Further talks are reportedly scheduled for the weekend.

The update triggered a sharp selloff in oil, prompting immediate financial outflows from energy-linked funds that include US natural gas contracts, according to a Bloomberg analysis. The move came even as the near-term supply-demand outlook for US gas remains largely unchanged.

President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that Iran had declared the Strait of Hormuz "fully open and ready for full passage."

For the week ended April 15, the May 2026 Nymex contract was down $0.11 at $2.61/MMBtu, compared with $2.72/MMBtu the prior week, the Energy Information Administration's Weekly Gas Storage Supplement said.

Natural gas spot prices fell by $0.05 to $2.75/MMBtu during the week ended April 15, according to the EIA, from $2.80/MMBtu a week earlier. This decline was largely attributed to a 31% drop in demand from the residential and commercial sectors, to 6.4 billion cubic feet per day.

Spot prices varied across most regional hubs, from a $4.38/MMBtu decline at the Waha Hub to a $0.23/MMBtu increase at Algonquin Citygate.

Prices across western hubs were relatively unchanged during the week, with most trading around $1/MMBtu. Northwest Sumas and the SoCal Border regions were below this mark, largely due to flat demand, as temperatures averaged 56.9 degrees Fahrenheit.

The EIA reported a net injection of 59 Bcf into storage for the week ended April 10, up from a net injection of 50 Bcf the previous week, bringing total gas inventories to 1,970 Bcf.

During the same week last year, the EIA reported a net injection of 22 Bcf, while the five-year average for this period was an injection of 38 Bcf. This week's figures were also above the 55 Bcf forecast, according to data compiled by Investing.com.

Total gas inventories at 1,970 Bcf are now 126 Bcf, or 7%, above the corresponding period a year ago, and 108 Bcf, or 6%, higher than the five-year average for this period.

Working gas in storage rose across all regions for the week ended April 10, with South Central seeing the biggest inflow at 32 Bcf, taking its total inventories to 839 Bcf. The Mountain and Pacific regions saw injections of 2 Bcf and 6 Bcf, respectively, the EIA reported.

According to Pinebrook Energy Advisors, storage injections should continue growing at a healthy rate "through at least the end of April," amid tepid weather-related demand across most parts of the country.

Weather forecasts had been bearish for most of this month, but conditions may shift, with large swathes of the Central US expected to see below-normal temperatures from April 24 to April 30, according to the National Weather Service.

A total of 35 liquefied natural gas-carrying vessels left US ports during the week, down from 37 vessels the previous week. The total capacity of these vessels stood at 133 Bcf, down 7 Bcf from the prior week.

Meanwhile, the US gas rig count decreased by two, from 127 the previous week to 125 in the week ending April 17, according to data from Baker Hughes released Friday. That compares with 106 gas rigs in operation a year earlier.

The consolidated North American oil and gas rig count, a key early indicator of future production levels, dropped by seven to 673 from 680 the previous week.

In international markets, European TTF gas prices averaged $15.23/MMBtu for the week ended April 15, $1.65/MMBtu lower than the previous week. The Japan-Korea Marker averaged $19.38/MMBtu, about $0.47/MMBtu lower than the prior week.

Related Articles

Oil & Energy

Weekly Crude Prices Decline as Iran Reopens Strait of Hormuz, Easing Risk Premium

Crude prices tumbled after Iran reopened the Strait of Hormuz, bolstering optimism that the US-Iran conflict will de-escalate and ease disruptions to global energy markets.West Texas Intermediate closed Friday at $85.57/bbl, down from $95.63/bbl the previous week, while Brent futures settled at $91.78/bbl, down from $94.36/bbl a week earlier.WTI futures plunged 13.2% over the week, while Brent prices declined 3.4%.The retreat follows the announcement by the US and Iran that the Strait of Hormuz would be open for the duration of a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.On Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared the Strait of Hormuz open to commercial shipping during the ceasefire period, easing concerns over potential disruptions to global oil flows."In line with the ceasefire in Lebanon, the passage for all commercial vessels through Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire, on the coordinated route as already announced by Ports and Maritime Organisation of the Islamic Rep. of Iran," Araghchi posted on X.Subsequently, US President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on Friday that Iran had declared the Strait of Hormuz "fully open and ready for full passage," adding that the US blockade of Iranian ports is still in effect.Analysts, however, have cautioned against viewing this as a lasting de-escalation, citing the fragility of the ceasefire."The opening of Hormuz was made possible by a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. However, this can be only described as a temporary and tenuous agreement," said Viktor Shvets, head of Global Desk Strategy at Macquarie Capital.Five empty tankers have reportedly arrived at Iranian ports in the Arabian Gulf in recent days and begun loading crude oil, while Kpler said on Friday that early vessel movements, including those linked to Adnoc LNG operations near Das Island, pointed to a cautious return of activity."In the near term, it is more likely to improve logistics than create new supply," Claire Jungman, a Vortexa analyst, toldon Friday.She added that many barrels were delayed or queued rather than removed from the market, so reopening should help crude, liquefied petroleum gas, and liquefied natural gas cargoes resume movement.In a Friday note, Rystad Energy strategists said tanker network normalization could take 6-8 weeks, with insurers and shipowners needing 2-5 weeks to resume operations and upstream output recovering in another 2-6 weeks, largely occurring simultaneously.Commerzbank analysts said that while the war premium eased on Friday, the long-term outlook remains bullish as the world grapples with the loss of Middle Eastern infrastructure.The International Energy Agency confirmed a massive "Asian supply gap," reporting that zero new tankers were loaded in the Persian Gulf during the entire month of March.Meanwhile, North Sea crude prices declined by about $7 per barrel, while Brent plunged 13% to about $86/bbl after the update on the Strait of Hormuz reopening, according to a Bloomberg analysis on Friday.Key North Sea grades and US WTI Midland also declined $5-$7/bbl in a Platts pricing window run by S&P Global, reflecting a sharp shift in sentiment following the announcement, the Bloomberg analysis said.WTI Midland's premium over Dated Brent narrowed to $10.40/bbl, its lowest level this month and more than 50% below its April 14 peak, the analysis added.Brent prices were in backwardation relative to prompt physical North Sea barrels earlier this month. The new developments, however, reflect a drop in the prompt risk premium and physical differentials."Physical oil prices-prompt barrels rather than June futures-have fallen sharply from $144 on April 7 to around $116 today," J.P. Morgan analysts said.Meanwhile, International Energy Agency Chief Fatih Birol reportedly said that it will take two years to recover the energy output lost in the Middle East conflict.On the supply front, US crude stockpiles fell by 900,000 barrels to 463.8 mmbbls in the week ended April 10, the Energy Information Administration said in its weekly report on Wednesday.Crude inventories are now about 1% above the five-year average for this time of year, the EIA said.The US oil rig count dropped by one from 411 the previous week to 410 in the week ending April 17, according to data from Baker Hughes (BKR) released Friday. That compares with 473 oil rigs in operation a year earlier.The consolidated North American oil and gas rig count, a key early indicator of future production levels, dropped by seven to 673 from 680 the previous week.Money managers in the WTI crude futures and options markets maintained their net long positions in the week ended April 14, according to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission's latest Commitments of Traders report released Friday.The data showed that money managers reported 226,150 long positions, up 3,059 from April 7, while short positions were down 3,347 to 81,907.

$BKR
Insider Trading

Ouster Insider Sold Shares Worth $754,395, According to a Recent SEC Filing

Mark Frichtl, Chief Technology Officer, on April 17, 2026, sold 30,000 shares in Ouster (OUST) for $754,395. Following the Form 4 filing with the SEC, Frichtl has control over a total of 712,297 common shares of the company, with 712,297 shares held directly.SEC Filing:https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1816581/000119312526161906/xslF345X05/ownership.xml

$OUST
Oil & Energy

Market Chatter: India Settles Iran Oil Trades in Chinese Yuan

Indian refiners used Chinese yuan via ICICI Bank to settle roughly $200 million in Iran oil trades under a US waiver, Reuters reported Friday, citing four sources familiar with the matter.Sources said payments for Iranian cargoes are being routed through ICICI Bank's Shanghai branch in Chinese yuan.The arrangement follows a 30-day US waiver introduced last month to allow purchases of Russian and Iranian oil, aimed at easing energy prices during the Middle East conflict, the report said.US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday the waivers will not be extended, according to the report.Indian Oil bought 2 million barrels of Iranian crude earlier this month in its first such deal in seven years, with the cargo valued at about $200 million, the report added.Reliance Industries has also taken delivery of Iranian crude, with four vessels allowed to berth and at least one cargo already discharged, the report said, citing LSEG data and a shipping source.Sources said both refiners are settling transactions in yuan via ICICI, though the identity of the counterparties receiving funds remains unclear.IOC paid about 95% of the cargo value upon the supplier's notice of readiness, an uncommon structure compared with typical payment after delivery, sources told Reuters.Indian Oil does not intend to purchase additional Iranian crude, the report said, citing one of the sources.Indian refiners have previously used yuan for Russian oil purchases, according to the report.India had largely avoided Iranian crude since 2019 due to US sanctions, while Chinese independent refiners have remained the primary buyers of Iran's exports, the report added.ICICI Bank, Indian Oil, and India's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to' request for comments.(Market Chatter news is derived from conversations with market professionals globally. This information is believed to be from reliable sources but may include rumor and speculation. Accuracy is not guaranteed.)