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

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.