Natural gas slips toward $3.30 as momentum fades despite record demand outlook for 2025
Natural gas futures extended their recent pullback on Wednesday, sliding toward $3.30 after facing stiff resistance at the descending trendline that has capped price advances since December 2023. The retracement comes even as fundamentals remain supportive, with the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) latest Short-Term Energy Outlook projecting record-breaking production and demand levels in 2025.
Highlights
- Natural gas falls near $3.30 after rejection at descending trendline resistance.
- EIA projects record U.S. production of 107.1 bcfd and demand of 91.6 bcfd in 2025.
- Key support sits at $3.20; breakout above $3.60 could confirm renewed bullish momentum.

Natural gas price dynamics (Source: TradingView)
According to the report, U.S. output is expected to reach 107.1 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd), while consumption could hit 91.6 bcfd, driven by rising power generation needs and expanding industrial use. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports are also forecast to accelerate as new facilities come online, reinforcing the market’s long-term bullish foundation.
Technical structure tightens between $3.20 support and $3.60 resistance
On the charts, natural gas remains confined within a broad range, struggling to extend its early October rebound. The daily structure shows price action stalling near $3.60 — a critical level that aligns with the descending trendline and prior swing highs. This resistance has capped multiple rally attempts over the past year. The Parabolic SAR has now shifted closer to price, signaling that momentum may be losing steam, while the Relative Strength Index (RSI) continues to hover near mid-range levels, reflecting a lack of conviction from both buyers and sellers.
Immediate support lies between $3.20 and $3.17, a zone reinforced by the 200-day exponential moving average (EMA). A breakdown below this cluster could expose deeper downside toward $2.90, followed by a more robust floor at $2.20 — a level that attracted strong demand earlier in 2024. On the upside, a daily close above $3.60 would confirm a breakout from the long-term downtrend, potentially setting up a move toward $3.80 and then $4.20, where earlier rallies had peaked.
Fundamentals remain constructive but short-term tone cautious
Despite the recent technical weakness, the underlying fundamentals for natural gas remain supportive over the medium term. The EIA anticipates continued growth in U.S. LNG exports, particularly as facilities such as Golden Pass and Plaquemines come fully online next year. Rising exports, combined with firm domestic consumption and stable production costs, are expected to keep the market structurally tight even as inventories remain above five-year averages.
However, near-term sentiment remains tempered by mild early autumn weather and shifting speculative positioning. Traders are awaiting the next round of storage data and weather forecasts for signs of increased heating demand. Until then, the market is likely to remain range-bound, oscillating between technical levels as participants reassess supply-demand dynamics heading into winter.
Outlook
In the short term, traders should focus on the $3.20 region as the pivotal support level defining market direction. Holding above it would preserve the bullish case for a potential breakout toward $3.60–$3.80, while failure to defend it could send prices back toward late-summer lows. Over the longer horizon, record production and demand projections underscore that natural gas remains a cornerstone of the U.S. energy mix, with LNG exports set to anchor its global relevance in 2025 and beyond.
Earlier analysis identified $3.60 as the key breakout threshold for confirming bullish continuation. That level remains crucial, as only a decisive close above it would mark a shift from consolidation to trend expansion.
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