U.S. natural gas spikes 7% as traders bet on big supply withdrawal

• U.S. natural gas futures surge 6.7% to $3.484/MMBtu as investors expect tomorrow's weekly supply data to reveal a massive inventory draw.
• Analysts predict a draw of 197B-210B cf in the week ended Dec. 16, which would be the biggest weekly withdrawal since 2010 and far exceeding last week's decline of 147B cf.
• Futures had fallen for five straight sessions to a three-week low of $3.242 on forecasts for less cold weather and lighter heating demand through the end of the year.
• Among individual stocks: CHK +3.6%, SWN +7.2%, COG +2.7%, RRC +2.7%, RICE +3.1%, EQT +2.5%, AR +2.6%, SE +0.9%.
• ETFs: UNG, UGAZ, DGAZ, BOIL, GAZ-OLD, KOLD, UNL, DCNG