S&P 500 — US Large Cap Index
FTSE 100 — UK Blue Chips
Euro Stoxx 50 — Eurozone Leaders
DAX 40 — German Equities
CAC 40 — French Market Index
Nikkei 225 — Japan Benchmark
Hang Seng — Hong Kong Index
Shanghai Composite — China Mainland
ASX 200 — Australian Market
TSX Composite — Canada Index
Nifty 50 — India Large Cap
STI Index — Singapore Market
KOSPI — South Korea Index
Bovespa — Brazil Equities
JSE Top 40 — South Africa Index
IPC Index — Mexico Market
US natural gas futures rose to $2.92 per MMBtu, the highest in two weeks, supported by expectations of more demand over the next two weeks. Forecasts showed that weather conditions would remain mostly warmer than normal through August 7, potentially boosting gas demand from power generators for air conditioning. However, gains were capped by an EIA report showing that US energy firms added 32 bcf of gas to storage for the week ended July 17, exceeding the five-year average increase of 30 bcf. Inventories remained 6.4% above their five-year seasonal average, signaling adequate supply. On top of that, average gas output in the Lower 48 states rose to 110.4 bcfd so far in July from 110.0 bcfd in June. In addition, flows to major LNG export terminals fell to 17.2 bcfd in July so far from 17.4 bcfd in June, partly due to scheduled maintenance at Freeport LNG’s export facility in Texas. Tropical Storm Bertha also poses a potential threat to LNG export facilities along the Gulf Coast.
