The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported on Thursday that domestic natural-gas supplies fell by 50 billion cubic feet for the week ended Dec. 9. That compared with an average forecast for a decline of 46 billion cubic feet, according to a survey of analysts, brokers and traders conducted by The Wall Street Journal, but was smaller the five-year average decline of 93 billion for the period. Total working gas stocks in storage stand at 3.412 trillion cubic feet, down 18 billion cubic feet from a year ago and 15 billion cubic feet below the five-year average, the government said. Following the data, January natural gas ngf23 was up 21.5 cents, or 3.3%, at $6.645 per million British thermal units on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Prices traded at $6.694 before the supply data.
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