Natural-gas futures climbed 2.9% Monday on expectations of continued strong demand for gas-fired heat as below-normal temperatures are expected to linger in the Midwest and much of the East Coast. Front-month gas on the New York Mercantile Exchange ended at the highest level in six and a half months, propelled by signs that commodity funds have turned bullish on gas for the first time since October. The same freeze that is driving up demand to warm homes also played havoc with production facilities in several parts of the country. Anne Swedberg, a senior energy analyst at Bentek Energy in Denver, said frozen equipment at wells could temporarily limit output by 1.7 billion cubic feet per day […]