Natural gas: Prices surge amid winter storm – ING

FXStreet Insights Team FXStreet

US natural gas prices are experiencing a significant rally, with Henry Hub breaking above $6/MMBtu, the highest level since late 2022. This surge is driven by a winter storm affecting nearly half of the US states, which is expected to increase heating demand. However, industrial demand may face challenges due to weather conditions. ING Analysts Warren Patterson and Ewa Manthey report.

Surge in natural gas prices

"US natural gas prices continue to rally, with Henry Hub breaking above $6/MMBtu and trading to its highest level since late 2022. This comes as a winter storm hits the US, with nearly half of all states declaring emergencies."

"Despite supply and demand concerns, US gas storage was very comfortable heading into this winter storm. The latest storage data from the EIA shows that US gas storage was up 4.8% year-on-year and 6.1% above the 5-year average as of 16 January."

"The speculative short in the US gas market has intensified the price move seen over the last week. The latest positioning data shows speculators still held a net short of 77,014 lots in Henry Hub as of last Tuesday."

(This article was created with the help of an Artificial Intelligence tool and reviewed by an editor.)

Author

FXStreet Insights Team

FXStreet

The FXStreet Insights Team is a group of journalists that handpicks selected market observations published by renowned experts. The content includes notes by commercial as well as additional insights by internal and external analysts.

EUR/USD rises to 1.1800 neighborhood amid renewed USD selling and trade uncertainties

The EUR/USD pair regains positive traction during the Asian session on Wednesday and jumps to the 1.1800 neighborhood in the last hour, reversing the previous day's modest losses. The intraday move up is sponsored by the emergence of fresh US Dollar, which continues to be weighed down by persistent trade-related uncertainties.

GBP/USD remains stronger above 1.3500 following Trump’s State of the Union

GBP/USD remains in the positive territory for the fourth successive session, trading around 1.3510 during the Asian hours on Wednesday. The pair appreciates as the US Dollar remains subdued following US President Donald Trump’s first State of the Union address of his second administration before a joint session of Congress.

Gold re-attempts $5,200 amid tariffs and geopolitical woes

Gold buyers are back in the game early Wednesday after seeing a correction from monthly highs on Tuesday. The US Dollar slips after Trump’s SOTU fails to impress and as AI-driven worries ease. Dovish Fed bets also weigh. Gold looks north so long as the key 61.8% Fibo resistance at $5,142 holds on the daily chart.

Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple post cautious recovery amid downside risks

Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple are posting a cautious recovery on Wednesday following a market correction earlier this week. BTC is approaching a key breakdown level, while ETH and XRP are rebounding from crucial support levels.

The Citrini report: How a debatable AI narrative can shake Wall Street

That AI-related headline alone was enough to rattle investors.US stocks slid sharply on Monday after a widely circulated Citrini Research memo outlined a hypothetical “2028 Global Intelligence Crisis”, warning that rapid AI adoption could push US unemployment into double digits as early as by mid-2028.

XRP pressured by weak ETF flows and declining retail interest

Ripple (XRP) is edging lower, trading above its intraday low of $1.32 at the time of writing on Tuesday. The decline from its weekly opening of $1.39 reflects heightened volatility in the broader cryptocurrency market, accentuated by tariff-triggered uncertainty.