February 08, 2007	Thursday	Muharram 19, 1428

NEW YORK, Feb 7: US natural gas storage levels were expected to fall by about 218 billion cubic feet when weekly US Energy Information Administration data are releasedearly on Thursday, industry sources said.

Traders said cold weather last week that drove temperatures across much of the US to well-below normal levels kicked up heating demand and opened the door to strong draws from inventory.

In a Reuters survey, withdrawal estimates for the week ended Feb. 2 ranged from 198 bcf to 240 bcf.—Reuters