Natural-gas futures climbed 4.9% to the highest level in nearly two-a-half years Thursday as government data showed strong demand pulled record volumes of gas from storage last week. Gas inventory fell by 285 billion cubic feet in the week ended Dec. 13, the Energy Information Administration said. That far exceeded the average of forecasts gathered by The Wall Street Journal for a decline of 260 bcf. It exceeded the top end of the forecast range of 280 bcf. The EIA said gas inventory dropped to 3.248 trillion cubic feet, a three-year low for this time of year. The stockpile is 13.1% below a year ago, which is the biggest deficit since July 12. Stocks also are 7.4% […]