Natural gas futures American markets rose sharply on Thursday, reaching a peak in one week. This is mainly due to the almost record flows to export factories of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and a slight decline in domestic production. In a context of intense cold, the demand for heating reinforces the pressure bullish on prices.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX), Futures for delivery in January gained 10 cents, or about 2.5%, to 4.124 dollars per million thermal units British (MMBtu). This level marks the strongest close since the 11th. December, confirming renewed tension on the market.

This dynamic comes on the eve of the publication of a highly anticipated federal inventory report. According to market forecasts, gas withdrawals would have been much higher than seasonal norms. Analysts believe that energy companies drew about 169 billion cubic feet (bcf) from reserves during the week ending December 12. For comparison, the withdrawal was 134 bcf at the same period last year and at an average of 96 bcf out of five last years.

At the same time, the offer shows slight signs of contraction. According to the financial company LSEG, production Average gas in the 48 contiguous states fell to 109.5 billion feet cubes per day (bcfd) since the beginning of December, against a record monthly of 109.6 bcfd recorded in November. A marginal decrease, of course, but sufficient to increase tensions in a market already stimulated by the domestic demand and exports.

Thus, between increased winter consumption, stock levels under pressure and sustained flows to LNG, the gas market Natural American evolves in an environment conducive to volatility. Short Ultimately, operators will remain attentive to storage data and the evolution of temperatures, two key factors likely to guide the price trend.