美国天然气价格升至自去年12月来的高点

据天然气加工新闻网8月5日报道，随着液化天然气价格攀升，美国天然气期货价格升至自去年12月以来的最高水平，而预计8月底美国的气温仍将高于正常水平。

交易员们注意到，由于美国库存达到最高水平，价格将下降的任何挥之不去的担忧已经消失，因为自6月底以来，发电机已经燃烧了创纪录的天然气，以保持空调的运作而且液化天然气公司再次增加出口。然而，分析师仍预计，到10月底，库存将达到创纪录的4.1万亿立方英尺。

上周六美国东部时间上午8:15(格林尼治标准时间12:15)，即月天然气期货上涨3.7美分，涨幅1.7%，至每百万英国热单位2.23美元，使该合约走向自去年12月26日以来的最高收盘价。

这是自2019年11月以来，首次连续连续第三天使即月期货保持在超买区间，相对强势指数(Rsi)超过70。

周一晚上袭击北卡罗莱纳州的伊萨亚斯(Isaias)飓风短暂打破了自6月底以来席卷全国大部分地区的热浪。这场飓风使从北卡罗来纳州到缅因州的超过300万户家庭和企业断电。

但是随着炎热天气的到来，数据提供商Refinitiv预计，包括出口在内的美国需求将从本周的日均886亿立方英尺上升至下周的910亿立方英尺。由于天然气价格上涨导致发电机燃烧更多的煤炭而不是天然气，因此这略低于Refinitiv周二的预期。

美国液化天然气出口有望在6个月内首次上升，因为8月份流向这些工厂的管道天然气数量从7月份33亿立方英尺/天的21个月低点上升到40亿立方英尺/天，当时买家取消了几十批货物。

郝芬 译自 天然气加工新闻网

原文如下:

U.S. natgas rise to highest since Dec on rising LNG exports, hot weather

U.S. natural gas futures rose to their highest since December as LNG climbed while the weather was expected to remain hotter-than-normal through late August.

Traders noted any lingering concerns that prices would fall as U.S. stockpiles fill to maximum levels have gone away now that power generators have burned record amounts of gas to keep air conditioners humming since late June and as LNG companies boost their exports again. Analysts, however, still expect inventories to reach a record 4.1 trillion cubic feet by the end of October.

Front-month gas futures rose 3.7 cents, or 1.7%, to $2.230 per million British thermal unit sat 8:15 a.m. EDT (1215 GMT), putting the contract on track for its highest close since Dec. 26.

That kept the front-month in overbought territory with a Relative Strength Index (RSI) over 70 for a third day in a row for the first time since November 2019.

Hurricane Isaias, which hit North Carolina Monday night, briefly broke the heat wave that has blanketed much of the country since late June. The storm knocked out power to more than three million homes and businesses from North Carolina to Maine.

But with hot weather expected to return, data provider Refinitiv projected U.S. demand, including exports, will rise from an average of 88.6 bcfd this week to 91.0 bcfd next week. That is a little lower than Refinitiv's outlook on Tuesday as higher gas prices cause power generators to burn more coal instead of gas.

U.S. LNG exports are on track to rise for the first time in six months as the amount of pipeline gas flowing to the plants rose to 4.0 bcfd in August from a 21-month low of 3.3 bcfd in July when buyers canceled dozens of cargoes.