Natural-gas prices ticked higher Wednesday ahead of weekly inventory data, which is expected to show that supplies have increased by less than is typical for this time of year. Natural-gas futures for July delivery settled up 3.3 cents, or 1.2%, at $2.759 a million British thermal units on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Natural-gas stockpiles typically grow between April and October, as producers store the heating fuel ahead of the winter, when consumption usually peaks. Producers have injected large amounts of natural gas into storage in recent weeks, suggesting that robust production is keeping the market oversupplied. The U.S. Energy Information Administration is due to release its inventory data for the week ended Thursday. Analysts and traders surveyed by The Wall Street Journal expect the agency to report that stockpiles grew by 78 billion cubic feet in the week, less than the five-year average build […]