據世界石油12月26日報道，美國天然氣期貨價格跌至7月份以來的最低水平，由于新年天氣預報將轉暖，創紀錄高的歐洲天然氣價格也暴跌。

周四紐約商品交易所期貨價格下跌9.5%，為12月初以來最大跌幅。預計下周美國東海岸和南部將出現反常的高溫，這將抑制對取暖和發電廠燃料的需求。進入美國周末后，交易量有所減少，增加了期貨市場突然波動的可能性。

EBW Analytics在給客戶的報告中稱，疲弱的現貨市場在長假周末跌至紀錄溫暖狀態，可能會增加止住跌勢的難度。

周四的拋售發生在歐洲天然氣價格暴跌20%之后，原因是市場預期從美國運抵歐洲的一批液化天然氣將有助于緩解能源危機。能源危機已將天然氣期貨推至創紀錄高點，并導致一些工廠停產。最近幾周，美國的液化天然氣出口設施一直在全速運轉，30艘裝載著近500萬立方米燃料的油輪正在橫渡大西洋。

美國天然氣庫存在入冬時小幅下降，突顯了市場對氣溫將高于正常水平的預期。根據周四發布的一份報告顯示，公用事業公司和其他客戶上周僅從冬季儲存的天然氣中提取了550億立方英尺，符合分析師的預期，但不到5年同期平均需求的一半。

紐約上午10點49分，天然氣期貨價格下跌6.5%。

郝芬 譯自 世界石油

原文如下：

U.S. natural gas hits five-month low on milder winter forecast

U.S. natural gas futures plunged to the lowest since July as the weather forecast for the new year shifted milder and record-high prices in Europe plunged.

Futures fell as much as 9.5% on the New York Mercantile Exchange Thursday, the most since early December. Unseasonably high temperatures are expected on the East Coast and southern U.S. through next week, dampening demand for the heating and power-plant fuel. Trading has thinned heading into the U.S. holiday weekend, raising the likelihood of sudden swings in the future market.

“A weak spot market sliding into record warmth over the long holiday weekend may add to difficulties stemming the bleeding,” EBW Analytics said in a note to clients.

Thursday’s sell-off comes after gas prices in Europe plunged 20% on expectations that a flotilla of liquefied natural gas cargoes en route from the U.S. will help to ease an energy crisis that has driven futures to record highs and shut factories. U.S. LNG export facilities have been operating at or above capacity in recent weeks and 30 tankers carrying nearly 5 million cubic meters of the fuel combined are crossing the Atlantic.

Anemic declines to U.S. gas inventories at the start of winter has underscored the market’s expectations for higher-than-normal temperatures. Utility companies and other customers drew just 55 billion cubic feet of natural gas from winter storage last week, in-line with analyst expectations but less than half the 5-year average demand for that time of year, a report released Thursday shows.

Natural gas futures traded 6.5% lower at 10:49 a.m. in New York.

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