U.S. energy companies injected 77 billion cubic feet (bcf) of natural gas into storage during the week ended October 16, undershooting market expectations of a 79 bcf build. The increase also fell short of both the 86 bcf added in the same week a year earlier and the five-year average injection of 87 bcf for the comparable period from 2021 to 2025. Total gas inventories climbed to 3.644 trillion cubic feet, leaving stocks 4% below year-ago levels but 1% above the five-year seasonal average. The latest data followed a 67 bcf injection in the prior week ended October 9, showing that weekly storage builds have picked up, even as they remain weaker than historical norms and below analyst projections.