US natural gas futures fell to $2.65 per MMBtu, giving back part of their recent gains as they followed a broader pullback across energy markets amid rising hopes for a negotiated resolution to the Middle East conflict. US Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to visit Pakistan for a second round of peace talks, while Iran is expected to send a delegation after earlier expressing reluctance to take part.
Prices also faced downward pressure from a persistent storage surplus. Unseasonably mild spring weather has supported robust inventory builds, pushing stockpiles to an estimated 7% above the five-year average for the week ended April 17. Looking ahead, forecasts for near-normal temperatures through early May are likely to keep demand muted, and analysts expect storage levels to remain elevated.
The gains seen in earlier sessions had been underpinned by lower output in recent weeks and near-record gas flows to US LNG export facilities.
