Natural Gas At 1-week High; Oil Logs Lowest Finish Since Mid-September

Natural-gas futures jumped 5% Monday, with the front-month contract settling at its highest level in a week as traders bet that the winter season will soon boost demand and help draw down the record level of U.S. inventories. Oil futures, meanwhile, pared some of their earlier losses, but still finished at their lowest level since mid-September amid continued doubts over an output deal among major producers. December natural gas rose 13 cents, or 5%, to settle at $2.749 per million British thermal units. December crude lost 9 cents, 0.2%, to settle at $43.32 a barrel.