Natural-gas prices dropped to a one-month low Monday on expectations that warmer weather would reduce demand for the heating fuel. Futures gained 3.8% last week as frigid temperatures continued into the first week of March, following the coldest February in about 30 years. About half of U.S. households use natural gas to heat their homes, so freezing weather boosts natural-gas consumption. But temperatures warmed up over the weekend in the Northeast, which is a key natural-gas-consuming region. Front-month April futures settled down 16.1 cents, or 5.7%, at $2.678 a million British thermal units on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the lowest settlement price since Feb. 10. Traders who had bet on higher prices closed out positions after weather forecasts released over the weekend called for moderate temperatures, said Jim Ritterbusch, president of energy-advisory firm Ritterbusch & Associates. “After the mild updates that we saw over […]