US Natural Gas Extends Weekly Losses on Bearish Fundamentals Amid US-Iran Diplomacy Signals
US natural gas futures posted another weekly decline amid swelling inventories, driven by relatively strong production and weak shoulder-season demand.The front-month contract price fell over the week to $2.68 per million British thermal units, from $2.72/MMBtu on April 10."Natural gas futures traded in an unusually tight range this week, with limited volatility despite a near-term backdrop that remains broadly bearish," Pinebrook Energy Advisors said in a daily note.The week that started with a reported US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz ended Friday with statements from US President Donald Trump and Iranian officials indicating the waterway would remain open. Further talks are reportedly scheduled for the weekend.The update triggered a sharp selloff in oil, prompting immediate financial outflows from energy-linked funds that include US natural gas contracts, according to a Bloomberg analysis. The move came even as the near-term supply-demand outlook for US gas remains largely unchanged.President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that Iran had declared the Strait of Hormuz "fully open and ready for full passage."For the week ended April 15, the May 2026 Nymex contract was down $0.11 at $2.61/MMBtu, compared with $2.72/MMBtu the prior week, the Energy Information Administration's Weekly Gas Storage Supplement said.Natural gas spot prices fell by $0.05 to $2.75/MMBtu during the week ended April 15, according to the EIA, from $2.80/MMBtu a week earlier. This decline was largely attributed to a 31% drop in demand from the residential and commercial sectors, to 6.4 billion cubic feet per day.Spot prices varied across most regional hubs, from a $4.38/MMBtu decline at the Waha Hub to a $0.23/MMBtu increase at Algonquin Citygate.Prices across western hubs were relatively unchanged during the week, with most trading around $1/MMBtu. Northwest Sumas and the SoCal Border regions were below this mark, largely due to flat demand, as temperatures averaged 56.9 degrees Fahrenheit.The EIA reported a net injection of 59 Bcf into storage for the week ended April 10, up from a net injection of 50 Bcf the previous week, bringing total gas inventories to 1,970 Bcf.During the same week last year, the EIA reported a net injection of 22 Bcf, while the five-year average for this period was an injection of 38 Bcf. This week's figures were also above the 55 Bcf forecast, according to data compiled by Investing.com.Total gas inventories at 1,970 Bcf are now 126 Bcf, or 7%, above the corresponding period a year ago, and 108 Bcf, or 6%, higher than the five-year average for this period.Working gas in storage rose across all regions for the week ended April 10, with South Central seeing the biggest inflow at 32 Bcf, taking its total inventories to 839 Bcf. The Mountain and Pacific regions saw injections of 2 Bcf and 6 Bcf, respectively, the EIA reported.According to Pinebrook Energy Advisors, storage injections should continue growing at a healthy rate "through at least the end of April," amid tepid weather-related demand across most parts of the country.Weather forecasts had been bearish for most of this month, but conditions may shift, with large swathes of the Central US expected to see below-normal temperatures from April 24 to April 30, according to the National Weather Service.A total of 35 liquefied natural gas-carrying vessels left US ports during the week, down from 37 vessels the previous week. The total capacity of these vessels stood at 133 Bcf, down 7 Bcf from the prior week.Meanwhile, the US gas rig count decreased by two, from 127 the previous week to 125 in the week ending April 17, according to data from Baker Hughes released Friday. That compares with 106 gas rigs in operation a year earlier.The consolidated North American oil and gas rig count, a key early indicator of future production levels, dropped by seven to 673 from 680 the previous week.In international markets, European TTF gas prices averaged $15.23/MMBtu for the week ended April 15, $1.65/MMBtu lower than the previous week. The Japan-Korea Marker averaged $19.38/MMBtu, about $0.47/MMBtu lower than the prior week.