Why has NYMEX HH Price Dropped Like a Rock? Closed at $7.84 Weds.
The U.S. natural gas NYMEX futures price for the "front month" October contract lost another 3.8% on Tuesday, hitting a four-week low, closing at $7.84/MMBtu. The NYMEX price is down over 13% over the past week. However, gas storage inventories are 11% below their five-year average. So what gives? Why is the price crashing, yet inventories (supplies) are low? It's back to economics 101--supply and demand. The overall supply (production) of natural gas has gone much higher, according to recent EIA reports. Because of cooler temps (less demand for natgas at power plants), there is less demand overall. More supply with less demand equals lower prices.
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