North American natural gas prices were kept in check by robust U.S. production this week.

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On Monday, the December New York Mercantile Exchange natural gas contract rolled off the board at $6.712/MMBtu. January as the front month has been up and down since. On Thursday, the January contract settled at $6.738, off 19.2 cents day/day. February futures slid 18.7 cents to $6.631.

U.S. production on Wednesday was again strong at 101 Bcf/d. Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. analysts said production in recent weeks has held around 101-102 Bcf/d, near record highs. They noted strong activity in the Haynesville Shale and Permian Basin, key basins for natural gas buyers in Mexico.

“With prices around $6, buyers in Mexico aren’t really concerned as they were in the summer,” a Mexico...