Mitrade Insights is dedicated to providing investors with rich, timely and most valuable financial information to help investors grasp the market situation and find timely trading opportunities.

2021

Best News & Analysis Provider

FxDailyInfo

2022

Best Forex Educational Resources Global

International Business Magazine

Insights

News

Commodities

Natural Gas holds near two-month high as more US sanctions on Iranian Oil sector loom

Source Fxstreet

Natural Gas price hits a fresh two-month high.
Gas prices soar as the US is set to broaden sanctions against Iran’s Oil sector.
The US Dollar Index partially recovers from Tuesday’s decline, driven by a big miss on PMI numbers.

Natural Gas (XNG/USD) holds onto recent gains on Wednesday after a two-day rally sparked by a possible escalation of tensions in the Middle East as the US is set to extend sanctions on Iran’s Oil sector. Earlier last week, the Biden administration said it was readying a sanction package that would not disrupt Oil exports to avoid ramping up prices. However, by backtracking and now issuing sanctions on the Iranian oil sector, tensions could flare up again in the coming days, fuelling prices in the overall energy space.

Meanwhile, the US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the US Dollar’s value against six major currencies, fell sharply on Tuesday after a big miss on the preliminary US Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) numbers for April. Apart from the softer-than-expected data, the Manufacturing component fell below the 50 level, showing a contraction in the sector. The US Dollar is recovering though on Wednesday, with traders assessing expectations about the time of the initial interest rate cut from the US Federal Reserve (Fed)..

Natural Gas is trading at $2.15 per MMBtu at the time of writing.

Natural Gas news and market movers: Tensions and supply issues

Supply issues towards Europe as the Hammerfest Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) plant in Norway is completely shut down due to a leak, Bloomberg reports. Expectations are for it to remain closed until at least Friday.
Marco Saalfrank, Head of Continental Europe Merchant Trading and Member of the Management Board of Axpo Solutions AG, said in an interview with Bloomberg that the Gas market is currently sentiment-driven as well, which is increasing volatility as Europe still lacks structural changes to replace the Gas supply from Russia.
The UK is also facing some issues, with the unforeseen outage of the Elgin Franklin field in the UK North Sea by at least another day.
US sanctions on Iran’s OIl sector are set to be signed by US President Joe Biden next week after the US Senate passed tougher measures.

Natural Gas Technical Analysis: Markets surprised by tougher sanctions

Natural Gas finally broke out of the range in which had been stuck since the end of January, between $1.60 and $2.11. A near $0.50 range that is now broken after the US is set to extend sanctions on Iran’s Oil sector. In the ripple effect of higher oil prices and elevated tensions in the Middle East, a stronger US Dollar could become a side effect of this bill being signed by US President Joe Biden next week.

On the upside, the blue line at $2.11, the 2023 low, and the 100-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) at $2.12 have been broken, resulting in a fresh two-month high. Further up, the next resistance level is the January 25 high at near $2.33.

With the firm break of the $2.11 area, the above mentioned elements (the 100-day SMA and the pivotal blue line) should now be acting as support. Traders could expect a retrace under some profit-taking, which this level should be able to withstand. Should it still break below, XNG/USD could experience a movement towards $1.92, testing a bounce off the red descending trend line.

Natural Gas: Daily Chart

Natural Gas FAQs

What fundamental factors drive the price of Natural Gas?

Supply and demand dynamics are a key factor influencing Natural Gas prices, and are themselves influenced by global economic growth, industrial activity, population growth, production levels, and inventories. The weather impacts Natural Gas prices because more Gas is used during cold winters and hot summers for heating and cooling. Competition from other energy sources impacts prices as consumers may switch to cheaper sources. Geopolitical events are factors as exemplified by the war in Ukraine. Government policies relating to extraction, transportation, and environmental issues also impact prices.

What are the main macroeconomic releases that impact on Natural Gas Prices?

The main economic release influencing Natural Gas prices is the weekly inventory bulletin from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), a US government agency that produces US gas market data. The EIA Gas bulletin usually comes out on Thursday at 14:30 GMT, a day after the EIA publishes its weekly Oil bulletin. Economic data from large consumers of Natural Gas can impact supply and demand, the largest of which include China, Germany and Japan. Natural Gas is primarily priced and traded in US Dollars, thus economic releases impacting the US Dollar are also factors.

How does the US Dollar influence Natural Gas prices?

The US Dollar is the world’s reserve currency and most commodities, including Natural Gas are priced and traded on international markets in US Dollars. As such, the value of the US Dollar is a factor in the price of Natural Gas, because if the Dollar strengthens it means less Dollars are required to buy the same volume of Gas (the price falls), and vice versa if USD strengthens.

Disclaimer: For information purposes only. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

Recommended Articles

The Fed will sit still on October 28 — but 100 of 100 economists now expect a December hike A Reuters poll run October 16-20 found 94 of 100 economists expecting the Fed to hold at 3.75-4.00% on October 28 — and all 100 expecting a hike in December, against less than half a month earlier. The market is close to the same price, with CME FedWatch at roughly 17% for October and 82.8% for December. With the Fed in blackout since October 17, here are the five dates that decide the rest of the year, what each one is priced for, and the two directions each can take.

Author Irene Q.

Oct 22, Thu

A Reuters poll run October 16-20 found 94 of 100 economists expecting the Fed to hold at 3.75-4.00% on October 28 — and all 100 expecting a hike in December, against less than half a month earlier. The market is close to the same price, with CME FedWatch at roughly 17% for October and 82.8% for December. With the Fed in blackout since October 17, here are the five dates that decide the rest of the year, what each one is priced for, and the two directions each can take.

Nasdaq closes at 26,008.86 — 8.9 points above 26,000, and the credit market never blinked The Nasdaq Composite fell 2.60% to 26,008.86 on October 22, its worst session since June, as Meta sank 6.98% on 2026 capex guidance of $135–145 billion. But the equal-weight S&P 500 rose 0.73%, high-yield credit was flat and 10-year yields fell 20 basis points. This was an AI de-rating, not a risk-off event — here is the transmission chain, the 29,000 / 28,200 levels and what would prove it wrong.

Author Irene Q.

Oct 23, Fri

The Nasdaq Composite fell 2.60% to 26,008.86 on October 22, its worst session since June, as Meta sank 6.98% on 2026 capex guidance of $135–145 billion. But the equal-weight S&P 500 rose 0.73%, high-yield credit was flat and 10-year yields fell 20 basis points. This was an AI de-rating, not a risk-off event — here is the transmission chain, the 29,000 / 28,200 levels and what would prove it wrong.

Brent tops $113 on Saudi supply risk — but the diesel line in the EIA report is the tell Brent's December contract settled at $113.17 on October 22, up 4.00% and the highest close since May 4, after Saudi Arabia restricted refined-product shipments. The same session's EIA report showed crude stocks down 3.06 million barrels and gasoline down 2.95 million — but distillates built 1.68 million. That single line decides whether $113 holds: here are the data, the 108.8 / 114.0 / 119.3 levels and the two scenarios.

Author Irene Q.

Oct 23, Fri

Brent's December contract settled at $113.17 on October 22, up 4.00% and the highest close since May 4, after Saudi Arabia restricted refined-product shipments. The same session's EIA report showed crude stocks down 3.06 million barrels and gasoline down 2.95 million — but distillates built 1.68 million. That single line decides whether $113 holds: here are the data, the 108.8 / 114.0 / 119.3 levels and the two scenarios.

Gold Price Analysis Today | Forex Gold Analysis | XAU/USD Analysis - October 26, 2026 Get the latest gold price analysis, forex gold insights, and XAU/USD analysis for October 26, 2026. Read on for the details.

Author Mitrade

8 hours ago

Get the latest gold price analysis, forex gold insights, and XAU/USD analysis for October 26, 2026. Read on for the details.

Gold breaks $4,000 as oil becomes the inflation problem — $3,943 is the line that matters Spot gold closed at $3,995.6 on October 23, down about 4.1% for the week and at its lowest since mid-July, and traded near $3,988 on October 26 even as Brent crude settled at $116.72 and Middle East supply risk stayed elevated. The war premium stopped working because oil is now the inflation trade: December Fed hike odds are 68.9% and the 10-year yield is 4.988%. Here are the three numbers, the transmission chain, and the July low at $3,943 that decides whether this is a bottom or a bigger correction.

Author Irene Q.

3 hours ago

Spot gold closed at $3,995.6 on October 23, down about 4.1% for the week and at its lowest since mid-July, and traded near $3,988 on October 26 even as Brent crude settled at $116.72 and Middle East supply risk stayed elevated. The war premium stopped working because oil is now the inflation trade: December Fed hike odds are 68.9% and the 10-year yield is 4.988%. Here are the three numbers, the transmission chain, and the July low at $3,943 that decides whether this is a bottom or a bigger correction.

Popular Symbols