By Claudia Assis
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Natural-gas futures turned lower Thursday after a weekly government report showing a lower-than-expected increase in supplies for the week ended Aug. 10. Natural gas for September delivery NGU12 +1.35% declined 5 cents, or 1.6%, to $2.71 per million British thermal units. It traded at $2.76 per million Btus moments before the data release, and added to gains after the report. The Energy Information Administration reported an increase of 20 billion cubic feet, compared to analyst expectations hovering around 24 bcf. Natural-gas markets often rise ahead of the data, only to open up for selling after the report, regardless of its content.
