Natural gas futures eased Friday as traders booked gains from a strong market run-up in recent days with the appearance of the first winter-like weather of the season that is expected to drive gas-fired heating demand. Natural gas for December delivery was down 3.6 cents, or 0.8%, to $4.3680 a million British thermal units on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The market posted a 5% gain a day earlier in the largest jump since June 12 and has risen more than 23% over eight consecutive trading sessions. The market has been rallying with the appearance of extreme cold in the forecast over much of the middle of the country next week, with potential polar vortex conditions extending south from the northern Plains to Texas and stretching to the Midwest. Still, the market looked past bearish data in the weekly U.S. inventory report, with stockpiles rising more […]