Natural gas prices slipped Friday as warmer temperatures crept into the forecasts with the onset of spring, reducing expectations for late-season heating demand that could support the market. The front-month April contract natural gas contract ended down 8.2 cents, or 3.1%, at $2.59 a million British thermal units on the New York Mercantile Exchange, its third consecutive losing session. The April contract expired with the close of trading Friday. The market is bumping along at its lowest levels of the year as the U.S. enters a so-called shoulder season between winter and spring and demand for gas-fired heating falls away. “Going into shoulder season, there’s not a lot of fundamental support for gas prices, and so they’re starting to slide,” said BNP Paribas strategist Teri Viswanath. There were no major revisions to temperature outlooks in the coming days and weeks, but there was a slight warming trend, with above-normal […]