Natural gas futures jumped sharply on Wednesday, rebounding after closing the previous session at the lowest in more than 3 1/2 years after Chesapeake Energy, a major shale producer, cut its production outlook.
Meanwhile, crude oil futures rose slightly in rangebound trade as investors monitored developments in the Middle East and assessed the outlook for global crude demand.
The price moves
-
West Texas Intermediate crude oil with delivery in April CL00,
+1.01% CL.1,
+1.01% CLJ24,
+1.01%
rose 56 cents, or 0.7%, to $77.60 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. -
April Brent crude oil BRN00,
+0.69% BRNJ24,
+0.69% ,
the global benchmark, rose 48 cents, or 0.6%, to $82.82 a barrel on ICE Futures Europe. -
Back on Nymex, March petrol RBH24,
+0.76%
rose 0.6% to $2.291 a gallon, while March HOH24 heating oil,
-1.07%
fell 0.8% to $2.655 a gallon. -
March natural gas NGH24,
+11.87%
jumped 11.4% to $1.755 per million British thermal units, rebounding after closing Tuesday at the lowest price for a month-to-date contract since June 26, 2020.
Market drivers
In its fourth quarter earnings report, Chesapeake CHK,
said its capital plan will support production of between 2.65 and 2.75 billion cubic feet per day, or bcf/d, this year. Chesapeake produced the equivalent of 3.43 Bcf/d in fiscal 2023, 98% of which was natural gas.
“Surge production and mild temperatures have allowed prices to collapse below $2, and with near-term temperature forecasts calling for warm weather to dominate much of the eastern U.S. and dampen heating demand , more producers will have to announce similar cuts to keep the upward trend alive,” Victoria Dircksen, commodities analyst at Schneider Electric, said in a note.
Natural gas prices remain down 16% in February alone and are down more than 24% this year, despite rebounding on Wednesday. Natural gas has suffered “due to rising domestic natural gas production, above-average storage levels and warmer-than-normal weather forecasts through the end of February,” Lu Ming Pang, senior analyst at Rystad Energy. Note.
See: Natural gas prices at lowest since 2020 thanks to mild weather, ample “double hit” supply
Analysts said continued attacks on ships in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militants remained a concern. Traders were also monitoring efforts towards a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas.
The United States on Tuesday vetoed an Arab-backed United Nations resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The Biden administration had said it would veto the resolution because it feared it could interfere with efforts to agree a deal between the warring sides aimed at placing at least a six-week suspension of hostilities and the release of all hostages.
Oil prices traded near the highs of a three-week range last week amid growing geopolitical concerns, but gains were capped after the International Energy Agency left its growth outlook unchanged of demand in 2024, said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Spartan Capital.
“Barring any major geopolitical upheaval in the Israel-Gaza war, we remain neutral on oil prices which we see remaining stuck between $72 and $78,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed.