Natural-gas Prices Pare Losses As Rise In U.S. Supplies Meets Market Expectations

Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration Thursday showed that domestic supplies of natural gas rose by 74 billion cubic feet for the week ended April 21. That was generally in line with the increase of 73 billion cubic feet expected by analysts polled by S&P Global Platts. Total stocks now stand at 2.189 trillion cubic feet, down 358 billion cubic feet from a year ago, but 299 billion cubic feet above the five-year average, the government said. June natural gas fell 1.6 cents, or 0.5%, from Wednesday's settlement to $3.255 per million British thermal units. It traded at $3.217 before the data.