U.S. natural gas futures prices declined to their lowest level since November 2024, with the front-month contract falling 7% from $2.92 to $2.70 for the week ending August 22. The October contract also decreased 6% to $3.16. Despite the price drop, net long positions in U.S. natural gas increased by 14 billion cubic feet (28%) for the week ending August 15. In crude oil markets, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures rose 1% to $63.66, while Brent crude futures increased 3% to $67.73 over the same period. However, net long positions for both WTI and Brent fell, with WTI net longs reaching an eight-year low and Brent net longs declining 12%. The combined WTI crude net short positions hit a record 11,400 contracts as of August 19. The Brent-WTI net long positions dropped 17%, with open interest down 1%, and current net longs substantially lower than averages from 2017-21 and 2022-24. Market commentary suggests that the recent oil price rally may be driven by expectations of Federal Reserve support rather than fundamental supply and demand strength. On the retail side, the U.S. national average gasoline price rose slightly to $3.161 per gallon, the lowest August average since 2020. In Mexico, the average price of regular gasoline was reported at 23.57 pesos per liter on August 22, with regional variations noted. Additionally, the basic food basket price in Mexico remained steady at 910 pesos according to Profeco.