The amount of natural gas in US storage facilities decreased 47 Bcf to 1.143 Tcf in the week that ended Friday, the US Energy Information Administration reported Thursday. The draw was slightly smaller than the consensus expectations of analysts surveyed by S&P Global Platts, which called for a 48 Bcf pull. The withdrawal was smaller than the 87 Bcf pull reported during the corresponding week in 2018 as well as the five-year average draw of 56 Bcf, according to EIA data. As a result, stocks were 315 Bcf, or 21.6%, under the year-ago level of 1.458 Tcf and 556 Bcf, or 32.7%, below the five-year average of 1.699 Tcf. The NYMEX April gas futures contract rose 0.9 cent to $2.829/MMBtu following the announcement. The EIA reported a 17 Bcf withdrawal in the East to drop […]