Natural gas extends strong gains from last week

MarketWatch.com - MarketPulse LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Natural-gas futures made strong gains in electronic trade Monday, while crude oil enjoyed a more modest gain. March natural gas rallied 17 cents, or 3.3% to $5.40 per million British thermal units, extending sharp gains from the previous week as cold weather hit the eastern U.S. March crude oil improved by 37 cents, or 0.4%, to 100.72 a barrel, more than erasing Friday s 5-cent loss on the New York Mercantile Exchange, while rival Brent crude oil for April ticked a penny higher to 109.09 a barrel. March gasoline held steady at $2.80 a gallon, while March heating oil was also flat at $3.08 a gallon.Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.