Natural Gas Sinks More than 7%
US natural gas futures extended their drop and sank more than 7% $3.2/MMBtu on Wednesday as markets assessed the outlook of gas supply in the US. The latest report from the EIA indicated that utilities pulled 3 billion cubic feet of natural gas from storage on the week ending November 22nd, loosely in line with market expectations ranging between a small build and a small draw. While the result consolidated the view that the withdrawing season is underway, it was well below the 5-year average of a 30 billion cubic foot drop for the week. In turn, prices were also pressured by the view that the upcoming colder front in the US may turn mild later in December. Still, export demand has remained strong in November, driven by Europe and Asia preparing for winter heating. To meet this demand, US production has increased, up by 1.5 Bcf/day from the 30-day average on Tuesday.