The gains continued last week, the decline in open interest…indicating substantial short covering was a significant contributor to the rally, discussed in some detail last week, continued. Until an increase on Thursday, only the second daily increase since 10/16, the total number of contracts outstanding had fallen for ten straight days. Prompt gas closed higher on 13 of those 20 trading days and only once was there consecutive lower daily closes (three straight between 10/22 and 10/24).
The decline to Wednesday’s low total of contracts outstanding brings the reduction to 200,007 contracts (11.6%) while including a significant contribution from the premium of December over expired November ($.439) prompt gas has rallied, on a daily closing basis, from $2.938 to $4.533 ($1.595 or 54.3%). This represents an epic short covering rally.
