By Anthony Harrup
U.S. natural gas inventories likely saw a below-average increase last week, widening the storage deficit for the first time in five weeks as a late-season cold spell lifted demand across parts of the country.
Gas in underground storage is expected to have increased by 23 billion cubic feet to 1,853 Bcf in the week ended April 11, according to the average estimate of 10 analysts, brokers and traders surveyed by The Wall Street Journal. Estimates range from an increase of 17 Bcf to an increase of 33 Bcf.
The expected increase compares with a five-year average build for the week of 50 Bcf, and would widen the deficit to 67 Bcf from 40 Bcf the week before. It would also leave inventories 473 Bcf below the year-earlier level.
The natural gas injection season, which typically gets under way in April, started early this year due to mild March weather following an unusually cold January and February.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration is scheduled to release weekly storage data on Thursday at 10:30 a.m. EDT.
Write to Anthony Harrup at anthony.harrup@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 16, 2025 13:04 ET (17:04 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Disclaimer: Investing carries risk. This is not financial advice. The above content should not be regarded as an offer, recommendation, or solicitation on acquiring or disposing of any financial products, any associated discussions, comments, or posts by author or other users should not be considered as such either. It is solely for general information purpose only, which does not consider your own investment objectives, financial situations or needs. TTM assumes no responsibility or warranty for the accuracy and completeness of the information, investors should do their own research and may seek professional advice before investing.