Natural-gas futures sold off sharply Monday as traders took profits from a run of nine straight rising sessions. The front-month December natural-gas contract ended the day down 15.7 cents, or 3.6%, at $4.255 a million British thermal units on the New York Mercantile Exchange, ending a string of gains that saw prices rise more than 23% during that time. With a looming onslaught of fiercely cold weather over much of the U.S. in the next two weeks, analysts said traders were taking the opportunity to lock in profits from bullish trades now that the mercury is set to drop. We had an incredible streak of gains, and the storm comes tomorrow,” said Phil Flynn, an account executive with brokerage Price Futures Group in Chicago. “They’ve been buying the rumor nine days in a row, and selling the fact it’s about to descend on us.” Forecasters are […]