Natural Gas Technical Analysis and Near-Term Outlook
This is a brief analysis for the next day or so. Our weekly Natural Gas Commentary and daily updates are much more detailed and thorough energy price forecasts that cover key natural gas futures contracts, calendar spreads, the UNG ETF, and several electricity contracts. If you are interested in learning more, please sign up for a complimentary four-week trial.
Natural gas rose to $3.138 but stalled just below a confluent $3.16 threshold that is in line with the larger than (1.618) target of the waves up from $2.592 and $2.798 and the intermediate (1.382) target of the wave up from $2.676. The 100-day moving average also held. The pullback from $3.138 settled below the 21 percent retracement of the rise from $2.592 and confirmed a daily bearish KaseCD momentum divergence. The bounce from $2.985 held the 62 percent retracement from $3.138 at $3.08, and prices are falling again. Therefore, there is also the potential for a head and shoulders pattern on the $0.035 Kase Bar chart. This reversal pattern would be confirmed by a close below $2.98.
Because of these bearish technical factors, the outlook for natural gas tomorrow is bearish. A test of the $2.98 smaller than (0.618) target of the wave down from $3.138 is expected. Closing below this will confirm the head and shoulders, calling for a test of this wave’s equal to (1.00) target, the 38 percent retracement from $2.592, and the 50-day moving average at $2.93. Settling below $2.93 will warn that the move up is failing and call for $2.87 and $2.83. The $2.83 objective is in line with the target of the head and shoulders.
Nevertheless, all significant swing lows that formed during the rise from $2.592 have held, and the daily trend indicators are bullish. The wave formation also still favors a test of $3.16. This suggests that the pullback from $3.138 is another correction. Overcoming $3.08 will call for another attempt to fulfill and close above the key $3.16 resistance level. This has become doubtful, but settling above $3.16 will put the near-term odds in favor of natural gas rising to $3.20 and $3.24 in the coming days.


