On Friday, traders added a premium to the winter months but kept the summer flat. The NYMEX front month rose $0.11 USD/MMBtu or 2.5% to settle at $4.59 USD/ MMBtu. The winter months (Dec-25 to Mar-26) gained an average of 1.5% compared to the summer contract (Apr-26 to Nov-26) that remained close to neutral. After another volatile week, the NYMEX front month ultimately settled $0.03 USD/MMBtu higher than last week as cold weather forecasts continue to concern market participants.

In the US, Freeport LNG flows are returning to full service, providing more bullish demand support. Freeport is a large LNG facility that frequently faces operational challenges and rarely reaches its full 2.4 bcf/d capacity. Early gas nominations on Friday indicate that the facility may be returning to maximum capacity, boosting US demand by 0.5 bcf/d. Next week is American Thanksgiving, so note that there will be less liquidity in gas markets on Thursday and Friday. (PB)