Natural-gas futures settle near a six-week low; oil ends higher

Natural-gas futures dropped more than 5% Thursday, with prices marking the lowest settlement for a front-month contract since late October. The Energy Information Administration reported that U.S. supplies of natural gas edged up 2 billion cubic feet last week, defying expectations for a decline. January natural gas fell 15.9 cents, or 5.4%, to settle at $2.763 per million British thermal units. Oil prices, meanwhile, ended higher, but recouped less than half of what it lost a day earlier. January crude tacked on 73 cents, 1.3%, to settle at $56.69 a barrel after falling 2.9% Wednesday.

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