Closing Commodities: Nat Gas Slides 1.2% On Inventory Data
* Precious metals traded higher today, gaining support on concerns over Portugal's banking system after the parent company of Banco Espirito Santo missed a bond payment.
* Aug gold touched a session high of $1346.80 per ounce in early morning action and settled with a 1.1% gain at $1339.50 per ounce.
* Sep silver advanced as high as $21.61 per ounce and eventually closed at $21.51 per ounce, or 2.1% higher.
* Aug crude oil chopped around slightly below the unchanged line in morning action but lifted into positive territory later in the session despite strength in the dollar index. The energy component touched a session high of $103.04 per barrel after trading as low as $101.86 per barrel. It settled with a 0.7% gain at $102.92 per barrel.
* Aug natural gas fell into the red from its session high of $4.19 per MMBtu following inventory data that showed a build of 93 bcf when a build of 90-92 bcf was anticipated. It eventually settled with a 1.2% loss at $4.12 per MMBtu, just above its session low of $4.11 per MMBtu.