NYMEX December natural gas futures contract rose 7.4 cents and settled at $3.261/MMBtu Wednesday, despite a warmer-than-average weather outlook Receive daily email alerts, subscriber notes & personalize your experience. Register Now The front-month contract traded between $3.207/MMBtu and $3.275/MMBtu. The National Weather Service calls for a likelihood of warmer-than-average temperatures over the next six to 10 days across much of the US. But prices were pushing up despite the expected warm start to winter, likely because the market is still indecisive about winter demand as storage stocks sit well below the five-year average. Current national stocks sit at 3.095 Tcf, a deficit of nearly 17%, or 624 Bcf, to the five-year average of 3.719 Tcf, according to the US Energy Information Administration. Bullish storage expectations are likely driving Wednesday’s gains. A consensus of analysts surveyed by S&P Global Platts expects a 52-Bcf injection for the week ended […]