Natural-gas futures closed up slightly Monday, after a late-day rally likely spurred by profit-taking. Prices for the front-month August contract settled up 0.1 cent, or 0.02%, at $4.147 a million British thermal units on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Prices did set a new six-month intraday low and are still about 13% off from a month ago. Several analysts said profit-taking might spur a rally after weeks of steady losses. Short-sellers, traders who bet prices would fall, would have to buy back contracts to close out those bets. Forecasts are showing the unseasonably cool weather is likely to reverse somewhat in the coming weeks, bringing temperatures 3 to 5 degrees Fahrenheit above normal starting July 24. That made Monday a good day for short sellers to close out positions, said John Woods, president of JJ Woods Associates and a Nymex floor trader. “It’s not earth-shattering, […]