GAZB - Natural gas futures score another two-and-a-half year high as temps heat up

U.S. natural gas prices continue their spectacular rise, racking up their best settlement since December 2018 for the third session in a row, as investors focus on forecasts for extremely hot weather next week.The front-month gas contract (NG1:COM) for August delivery closed +2.1% to $3.959/MMBtu, the best finish since December 13, 2018.ETFs: [[UNG]], [[UGAZF]], [[DGAZ]], [[BOIL]], [[FCG]], [[KOLD]], [[UNL]], [[GAZ]], [[GAZB]]Gas-focused equities scored strong gains, including [[AR]] +6.4%, [[RRC]] +5.3%, [[EQT]] +5%, [[SWN]] +4.2%, [[COG]] +4%.The hotter weather is seen lifting average gas demand, including exports, from 92.3B cf/day this week to 93.8B cf/day next week, according to data provider Refinitiv.The amount of gas flowing to U.S. liquefied natural gas export plants has averaged 10.8B cf/day so far in July, up from 10.1B cf/day in June but still below the record 11.5B cf/day in April.Natural gas prices are now up 56% YTD, even rising this past Monday as oil prices

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Natural gas futures score another two-and-a-half year high as temps heat up