What is natural gas and LNG?

Natural gas is a hydrocarbon gas mixture that is primarily composed of methane and is found by itself or with oil. Although it’s a carbon-based fuel, natural gas is considered a cleaner form of energy than oil and coal.

LNG, or liquefied natural gas, is a form of natural gas that’s been cooled to a liquid state to reduce transport risk and allow for easier storage.

Natural gas is used as a fuel in home heating and in transportation. It’s also used to manufacture chemicals and materials such as propane, ethane, lubricants, household cleaners, carpet fibers and plastics.

What is driving natural gas prices?

Volatility in natural gas demand often leads to big spikes and declines in natural gas prices. As a fuel for home heating as well as an energy source for air conditioning, the natural gas market is highly attuned to seasonal temperature changes and extreme weather events. Other factors that can influence natural gas prices include production, import and storage inventory levels, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). Geopolitical events are also a major factor.

Natural gas prices reached a 10-year high of US$9.25 per million British thermal units in September 2022 as an energy crisis took hold in Europe following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Global supply uncertainty and delivery disruptions were the main culprit.

However, reduced demand from a mild winter demand coinciding with a period of record high production in the United States led to an oversupplied market. This pushed prices for natural gas down below US$3 in the first few weeks of 2023 and prices remained below US$4 for the next two years as the supply overhang remained.

In 2025, a much colder winter and rising geopolitical tensions have sent natural gas prices on an upward trend. The growing threat of war in Europe and the US-Canada trade war are both having an impact on natural gas prices.

The United States is the largest natural gas producer in the world by far. According to the most recent data from the Energy Institute, US natural gas production in 2023 totaled 1.35 trillion cubic meters. That figure represents nearly a quarter of global natural gas production for that year.

The country’s output has grown exponentially over the last decade due to the transition away from coal, and advancements in extraction technology such as horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking. The United States is also the biggest consumer of the fuel, primarily for home heating and generating electricity.

In 2022, in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the US became the world’s largest exporter of LNG as European nations sought to wean themselves from Russian natural gas.

As for the other top natural gas producing countries, Russia is the second largest natural gas producer and exporter, with 586.4 billion cubic meters of output in 2023. The country also holds the world’s biggest-known natural gas reserves. Up until the end of January 2025, Europe accounted for 49 percent of Russia’s LNG exports, followed by China at 22 percent and Japan at 18 percent. On January 1, 2025, Ukraine let its Russian gas transit agreement expire, which could potentially disrupt natural gas supply chains and jeopardize energy security in Europe.

Iran ranks third in largest natural gas production and second in largest reserves. The Middle Eastern nation produced 251.7 billion cubic meters of the commodity in 2023. Iran plans to increase capacity with an US$80 billion investment in its gas fields and a long-term natural gas supply deal with Russia’s Gazprom for 109 billion cubic meters of gas supplied annually for domestic use and re-export.

China is not far behind Iran, producing a record 234.3 billion cubic meters of natural gas in 2023. Despite this, the Asian nation still relies on imports to meet about half of its demand. The majority of China’s natural gas imports come from Australia, Turkmenistan, the US, Malaysia, Russia and Qatar. In response to the 10 percent tariff imposed on Chinese products to the US imposed under the Trump Administration, China slapped a 15 percent tariff on US LNG imports in mid-February 2025.

Canada rounds out the top five natural gas producers country, with an output of 190.3 billion cubic meters of natural gas in 2023. Canada is also a top natural gas exporter; however, the US is its only trading partner. As of late-February 2025, the LNG Canada project and the Coastal GasLink pipeline is nearly complete with first shipments to the Asian Pacific markets of Japan and South Korea scheduled for mid-2025.

Canada’s natural gas exports to long-time partner the US are currently in question as Trump threatens 25 percent tariffs on Canada, with a lower 10 percent tariff on imports of Canadian natural gas and other energy. Trade negotiators on both sides are trying to work out potential exemptions.

Other trends to watch in this sector, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), are fast-growing natural gas demand in the Asia Pacific region and the transition from oil to natural gas as the primary energy source in the Middle East.

All of the uncertainty in the markets may be daunting, but investors interested in the potential for natural gas investments should not necessarily be discouraged — after all, while prices for the fuel can reach incredible lows, they can also climb to incredible highs, which no doubt supports companies in the sector.

How to invest in natural gas

Those who decide to invest in natural gas have plenty of ways to gain exposure to the fuel, including natural gas stocks, natural gas ETFs and natural gas futures. Take a look at each of those three best ways to invest in natural gas below. All data and information was current as of March 12, 2025.

How to invest in natural gas stocks

Investors can opt to look at some of the best natural gas companies to invest in this market. Many companies that are exploring for or producing natural gas are also focused on oil, and it can be difficult to find stocks that are aimed purely at natural gas. That said, some of the large-cap NYSE and NASDAQ-listed oil and gas stocks listed below are heavily involved in natural gas.

This list of US natural gas companies is arranged in alphabetical order and all stocks had market caps above US$2 billion when data was gathered.

Antero Resources (NYSE:AR)
Antero Resources is a natural gas and liquids company with operations in the United States’ Appalachian Basin. The company is one of the largest US-based suppliers of natural gas and liquified petroleum gas (LPG) to the global natural gas export market.

Civitas Resources (NYSE:CIVI)
Civitas Resources produces crude oil and liquids-rich natural gas from its assets in the DJ Basin in Colorado and the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico. Natural gas and natural gas liquids comprise 32 percent and 30 percent, respectively, of the company’s total proved reserves.

Comstock Resources (NYSE:CRK)
Comstock Resources is a natural gas producer with operations in the Haynesville Shale in North Louisiana and East Texas. This natural gas basin has direct access to Gulf Coast markets and the LNG corridor.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)
ConocoPhillips is headquartered in Houston, Texas, with operations and exploration activities in 14 countries. In addition to oil and bitumen, its products include natural gas, natural gas liquids and is a leading pioneer in the LNG market.

Coterra Energy (NYSE:CTRA)
Coterra Energy is a Houston, Texas-based energy company with a multi-basin portfolio of operations and deep inventories in the Permian Basin, Marcellus Shale and the Anadarko Basin. Natural gas and natural gas liquids account for 50 percent of the company’s revenues.

Diamondback Energy (NASDAQ:FANG)
Diamondback Energy is a Texas-based oil and gas company operating unconventional, onshore oil and natural gas reserves assets in the Permian Basin. Half of its hydrocarbon reserves are natural gas and natural gas liquids.

Devon Energy (NYSE:DVN)
Devon Energy, based in Oklahoma City, has oil and natural gas exploration and production operations in key US energy resource plays including the Delaware Basin, Eagle Ford, Anadarko Basin, Powder River Basin and Williston Basin. Natural gas production is a focal point of Devon’s growth strategy for 2025.

EOG Resources (NYSE:EOG)
EOG Resources is one the largest US oil and gas producers with significant operations across the US, including in the Barnett Shale, Northeastern Utah’s Uinta Basin and South Texas. The company has a long-term LNG supply contract with major energy trading company Vitol.

Northern Oil & Gas (NYSE:NOG)
Northern Oil & Gas is a non-operator model company with a large portfolio of upstream oil and natural gas assets in the United States. As a non-operator, NOG does not drill or operate rigs, but rather acquires a fractional working interest in drilling operations. This allows the company to benefit from market upside while mitigating costs and downside risks. The company’s properties are primarily in the Williston, Uinta, Permian and Appalachian basins.

Range Resources (NYSE:RRC)
Range Resources is a Fort Worth, Texas-based natural gas exploration and production company. It operates in the Appalachian Basin and is the largest land owner in the Marcellus Formation.

How to invest in natural gas ETFs

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are another option for oil and gas investors. Below are a few natural gas-focused ETFs and broader oil and gas ETFs to get you started.

iShares U.S. Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (BATS:IEO)
The iShares U.S. Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF offers investors exposure to the US oil and gas industry. While not a good pick for a long-term portfolio, ETF Database says “it can be very useful for more active traders seeking to establish a tilt towards domestic energy companies.” The fund’s top holdings include many of the stocks on this list. The fund’s one-year and three-year returns are -8.14 percent and 6.48 percent, respectively.

SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (ARCA:XOP)
The SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF is another fund focused on the US energy markets, specifically companies discovering and exploiting new oil and gas deposits. As with IEO, the XOP is not ideal for a long-term investment approach. However, it does offer a more balanced exposure to the same stocks and lower costs than IEO, ‘making it the most attractive option for those seeking to bet on this corner of the U.S. energy market,” ETF Database states. The fund’s one-year and three-year returns are -12.37 percent and 1.18 percent, respectively.

ProShares Ultra Bloomberg Natural Gas ETF (ARCA:BOIL)
The ProShares Ultra Bloomberg Natural Gas ETF offers twice daily leveraged exposure to natural gas. An important caveat is that the volatile nature of the natural gas market makes this ETF for more seasoned investors, ETF Database advises. Taking a look at the fund’s one-year and three-year returns of 37.2 percent and -70.49 percent, respectively, proves this out.

United States Natural Gas Fund (ARCA:UNG)
The United States Natural Gas Fund offers exposure to US natural gas. It can potentially act as an inflation hedge, ETF Database states, although “UNG often suffers from severe contango making the product more appropriate for short-term traders.” The fund’s one-year and three-year returns are 48.37 percent and -29.09 percent, respectively.

United States 12 Month Natural Gas Fund LP (ARCA:UNL)
The United States 12 Month Natural Gas Fund LP differs from UNG in that it “diversifies across multiple maturities, potentially mitigating the adverse impact of contango,” ETF Database explains. The fund’s one-year and three-year returns are 37.17 percent and -10.53 percent, respectively.

How to invest in natural gas futures

Some of the top natural gas futures contracts include Henry Hub Natural Gas Futures, E-mini Natural Gas Futures and Delivered Natural Gas Futures sold through the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Group (CME Group). Futures prices of natural gas are set in contract units of 10,000 MMBtu.

Investors considering investing in natural gas futures should be aware that these contracts are very liquid and extremely active throughout the week.

As for when natural gas futures trade, these futures trade nearly 24 hours a day from Sunday to Friday, with a 60-minute break each day beginning at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Trading in natural gas futures is generally heaviest on Thursdays, when the US Department of Energy releases its weekly natural gas storage report.