Natural-gas futures ticked higher Monday as the market took stock of predictions of warm weather for much of the country in the coming weeks and whether that might prompt demand for gas-powered air conditioning. Natural gas for October delivery rose 1.3 cents, or 0.3%, to settle at $3.850 a million British thermal units on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The market flipped between gains and losses over the course of the day as traders bet whether the forecasts could spell higher demand for natural gas, the fuel stock for power plants that ramp up production as customers run their air conditioners. An approaching late-season warm front is expected to bring temperatures in the 70s and 80s to much of the Midwest and Northeast into early October. Some analysts said the higher temperatures wouldn’t be hot enough to drive cooling demand and would likely result in […]