FX.co ★ US Natural Gas Stocks Rise Less Than Expected

US energy firms injected 15 billion cubic feet (bcf) of natural gas into storage in the week ending August 21, falling short of market expectations of a 20 bcf build. The increase was also smaller than both the 17 bcf injection during the same week last year and the five-year average build of 33 bcf. It represented a slight slowdown from the previous week, when inventories rose by 16 bcf for the period ending August 14. Total gas in storage reached 3.184 trillion cubic feet, leaving inventories about 0.9% below year-earlier levels but still roughly 5.5% above the five-year seasonal average.