Natural gas added to gains Thursday after a smaller-than-expected stockpile addition. The U.S. Energy Information Administration said producers added 63 billion cubic feet of natural gas to storage in the week ended Oct. 23. That is 5 bcf less than the average forecast of 22 analysts and traders surveyed by The Wall Street Journal. Natural gas for December delivery is up 5.3 cents, or 2.3%, at $2.351 a million British thermal units on the New York Mercantile Exchange. December prices are usually higher because of the winter, and the new contract’s bounce ends what had been an 18% fall over six sessions. The smaller-than-expected weekly surplus adds ammunition for bulls who think the oversupplied market could come into a better balance by winter. Natural gas is used as the primary heating fuel in about half of U.S. households, and prices can rise rapidly when extreme weather comes. “You are […]