After trading just briefly back above the June high ($2.839, the previous week’s high was $2.863) September gas reversed lower, again failing to close above the zone of resistance between the June and July highs with an increase in open interest. That failure brought a decline further than anticipated but with a substantial decrease in volume. The target suggested last week was $2.60ish but that zone of defined support did not limit September’s fall as the prompt traded to a low of $2.524 before recovering to close at $2.551. Notably, the close was well above the cluster of weekly lows that traded between the end of June and the beginning of August (+/- $2.45 –$2.49) but also below last week’s low. A lower close below the previous week’s low infers additional weakness coming.
Despite modest price erosion of near term gas over the last two weeks, September closed $.026 lower than two weeks ago, but the strips are higher with winter $.136 over the last ten trading days, one – year $.092 higher. Perhaps that’s how the Q3 seasonal pressure plays out this year. The strips are much closer to earlier highs. Prompt gas traded that Q2 high on 06/28, the high daily close of the winter ’23 – ’24 was $3.613, Friday’s close was $3.612. The high daily close of the continuation one – year during the closing days of June was $3.363, Friday’s close $3.307. Maybe my analysis is way off base but seems to me those differences suggest that sponsorship is building for deferred/distant deferred contract months.
