High daily volumes coupled with erratic and sometimes unpredictable movements have given natural gas a big name in the commodity world. While some have gotten burned by NG’s massive slide in recent years, others have been able to profit through puts or other trading strategies. Below, we outline strategies for trading natural gas, the ultra-popular United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG), and more [for more natural gas news subscribe to our free newsletter].

First things first, those looking to invest in futures will need to decide which exchanges they would like to utilize. Below, we outline three of the most popular options in the world for trading natural gas futures.

• New York Mercantile Exchange: When it comes to U.S. exposure, you will be hard pressed to find a better starting point than the NYMEX. The exchange offers a number of contracts as well as options on Henry Hub futures (the most popular). Investors can trade these contracts in all 12 months of the year, each representing 10,000 million British thermal units (mmBtu). One benefit of these contracts is that they trade Sunday to Friday between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 5:15 p.m (CST), meaning that investors can make a play for approximately 23 hours every day (there is a 45-minute break period between each day).

• Intercontinental Exchange: Known as the ICE, this exchange offers both U.K. Natural Gas Contracts and Title Transfer Facility (TTF) futures, which are based out of the Netherlands. These two options allow for a more global perspective on this commodity as it continues to grow in popularity [see also Analyzing Five High Yielding Oil & Gas Pipeline Stocks].

• Multi Commodity Exchange: For those looking invest abroad, the MCX offers exposure based out of India. Contracts are offered for all 12 calendar months with each representing 1,250 mmBtu. The smaller contracts may be a better option for investors with lower capital bases as it will cost much less to establish exposure. Note that the contracts are available Monday through Saturday, with no trading occurring on Sunday.

As far as futures contracts are concerned, playing natural gas requires a considerable amount of attention and should be left to only the most active of traders. Neglecting your position for even as long as an hour can have a dramatic effect on the outcome of your investment. Weather patterns are the best-known price drivers for this commodity, so be sure to keep an eye on the 10-day forecast as expectations for temperature changes can often shift prices. Finally, it is important to remember that as a primary trading instrument, developing trends in markets and how the majority of traders are behaving can also skew NG prices. Remember, the trend is your friend [see also The Ultimate Guide To Natural Gas Investing].

One of the most popular trading strategies for natural gas is to simply utilize the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG), an ETF which exchanges hands over 7 million times a day. Other ETFs offering exposure to natural gas are listed below.

For further reading on natural gas and related topics, check out some of the links below [see also The Ten Commandments of Commodity Investing].

• Commodity HQ Trading Center – Our free trading center offers details on your favorite commodity futures and exchange-traded products.

• Commodity HQ Heatmap Tool – Our free tool allows investors to easily compare the past performance of their favorite commodities.

• NYMEX Natural Gas Page – Home page for natural gas on the NYMEX.

• ICE Natural Gas Page – Home page for natural gas on the ICE.

• MCX Natural Gas Page# – Home page for natural gas on the MCX.

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Disclosure: No positions at time of writing.