Energy Prices Stuck in Neutral

Updated from 1:46 p.m. EST

Energy prices were mixed in Thursday's trading session at the New York Mercantile Exchange after the Energy Information Agency released natural gas inventory figures that were in line with analysts' expectations.

Natural gas finished the session up 2 cents at $7.26 per million British thermal units, according to the Nymex. Crude oil edged a cent lower to $57.99 per barrel. Heating oil was down a penny to $1.63 a gallon, and gasoline fell 3 cents to $1.59 a gallon.

The EIA reported that 259 billion cubic feet of natural gas were withdrawn from inventories during the week ended Feb. 9. Analysts were expecting a draw between 252 and 257 billion cubic feet. The report showed that 2.09 trillion cubic feet of natural gas remained stored in inventory at the end of the week, 14.7% above the five-year average for this time of year. ...