Natural gas prices surge on bullish demand and weather forecasts.

Natural gas prices rose sharply on Friday, with the most-active futures contract gaining 5.1% to settle at $2.843 per mmBtu, amid prospects for warmer temperatures that could see Americans cranking up their air-conditioners a little more this summer. Despite a higher-than-expected weekly storage number for the fuel, gas prices have managed to stay at or above the mid-$2 mark of late, helped by anticipation of higher cooling demand in the coming days and weeks.