The U.K. government Thursday outlined plans to bolster the country’s vital oil and gas sector, as official statistics showed that net energy imports rose last year to their highest levels since 1976, due to a sharp fall in domestic production. Output, which fell last year because of shutdowns at several key North Sea oil and […]

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Crude-oil futures traded mostly higher Thursday, with traders finding little directional cues from mixed U.S. data showing an upward revision to fourth-quarter growth, a rise in weekly jobless claims and a dip in March Chicago-area manufacturing. Traders also watched Cyprus, as the island nation’s banks reopened, for any developments related to […]

Investing.com - Natural gas futures rallied to the highest level in 18-months on Wednesday as forecasts for cooler-than-normal April weather bolstered expectations for increased home heating fuel demand. On the New York Mercantile Exchange, natural gas futures for delivery in May traded at USD4.056 per million British thermal units during U.S. morning trade, advancing 1.64%. […]

Natural gas futures slid after trading at an 18-month high above $4 following a government report showing that U.S. stockpiles declined by less than expected last week. Gas slipped 0.6 percent after rising to $4.025 per million British thermal units, the highest intraday price since Sept. 15, 2011. Energy Information Administration data showed that inventories […]

Booming shale plays in North Dakota and Texas are juicing the nation’s oil output and reducing our dependence on foreign imports. The domestic oil boom is poised to reach another milestone as projections have the nation’s monthly crude oil production outpacing imports for the first time in almost 20 years. Buoyed by booming shale plays […]

MATAMOROS, Mexico-As Mexico this week marks 75 years since it expropriated the oil industry from foreign companies, President Enrique Pena Nieto’s government is working to overhaul the state-run sector to attract private investment to complex offshore resources. At an event Sunday to mark the expropriation, Mr. Pena Nieto warned that if Mexico doesn’t fundamentally transform […]

Natural gas futures climbed to an 18-month high in New York as an unusually cold start to spring in the U.S. may bolster demand for the heating fuel. Gas rose 2.2 percent after a midday update to government forecasting models showed colder weather for the Midwest and East from March 29 through April 2, said […]

LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) Oil futures finished higher Thursday, with a decline in the U.S. dollar (US:dxy) and encouraging weekly labor-market data supporting gains. Crude oil for delivery in April (US:clj3) rose 51 cents, or 0.6%, at $93.03 a barrel, the highest settlement for a front-month crude contract since Feb. 25, according to FactSet data. Meanwhile, […]

Natural gas jumped to a 16-week high in New York, capping its biggest weekly gain in almost two months, on speculation that a late cold blast heading into spring will boost heating demand. Gas rose 1.6 percent as Commodity Weather Group LLC said below-normal temperatures in northern states over the next five days will spread […]

By Mike Paulenoff From a technical perspective, the big-picture natural-gas chart offers some fascinating observations. First, let’s notice that the price structure once again has hurdled its three-year downtrend line, which cuts across the price axis at 3.710 in the nearby futures. The last time it attempted to break out — in November — the […]