Chart of the day - NATGAS (28.06.2021)

Natural gas prices in the United States sit at the highest levels in 2 and a half years. Cold winter has led to reduction in global stockpiles. While US inventories remained near 5-year average, increased demand hinted at risk of stockpiles declining further. The latest data from EIA showed that inventory restocking is progressing slower than usual. Moreover, weather forecasts hint at a hot summer period. This should lead to increased demand for electricity and a lot of power plants in Europe and the United States use natural gas as a fuel. Interestingly, natural gas inventories in Europe sit at the lowest levels in over a decade for the given period. European prices hit a 13-year high.

US inventories drop below the 5-year average. Increased demand may push prices towards 5-year lows for the period. Source: EIA

NATGAS hit the highest level since January 2019. Interestingly, seasonal patterns hint that we may be observing a local low. Speculative positioning is negative. A significant backwardation can be spotted on the natural gas market therefore rollovers will push prices lower. Significant short-term demand can be spotted on numerous commodity markets. Source: xStation5