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▍ STATISTICAL PROJECTION · YEAR-END 2026

Based on current macro regime conditions and henry hub natural gas's historical behaviour in similar regimes, the model projects $3.1 by 2026-12-31 ( +10.0% from $2.82 today). The 68% confidence range is $0.14 to $6.06; the wider 95% range is $-2.69 to $8.9. Methodology below the headline.

Central Estimate
$3.1
+10.0% vs current $2.82
68% Range (±1σ)
$0.14 to $6.06
95% Range (±1.96σ)
$-2.69 to $8.9
Blended from 4 regime anchors· sample-weighted
VIX · Normal (15-25)
+14.1%n=3,036 · w=43%
10Y-2Y Yield Curve · Flat (0-100bps)
+10.6%n=2,100 · w=30%
HY OAS Spread · Tight (<350bps)
+48.5%n=915 · w=13%
Trade-Weighted Dollar · Weak (bottom tercile)
+0.4%n=992 · w=14%
METHOD: CENTRAL = SAMPLE-WEIGHTED MEAN OF PER-ANCHOR CURRENT-REGIME 1Y AVERAGES, SCALED TO 161-DAY HORIZON. BAND = ±σ√T USING 131.2% ANNUALIZED REALIZED VOL.
EXPECTED TO BE $3.1 BY 2026-12-31 (HIGHER FROM $2.82 ON 2026-05-11). NOT INVESTMENT ADVICE.
▍ MODEL · STATISTICAL FORECAST · 2026

Henry Hub Natural Gas Forecast 2026

Quantitative analysis from 6,274 observations of Henry Hub Natural Gas history, joined to four universal macro regime classifications. Numbers are computed, not narrated.

ByConvex Research Desk·Edited byBen Bleier·
DHHNGSP · LAST
$2.82
AS OF 2026-05-11
Percentile · 25Y History
27.5th
▍ HEADLINE SIGNAL · CONTRARIAN BULLISH
Hist. Avg +252d
+48.5%
vs -1.5% unconditional · +50.1%pp above
When HY OAS Spread sits in its Tight (<350bps) regime — as it does today (2.76) — Henry Hub Natural Gas has historically returned an average of +48.52% over the next 252 trading days, 50.1pp above the all-history average of -1.53%. Sample: 915 observations, 67.4% hit rate.
METHOD: PERCENTILE-RANK MATCHED, LOOK-AHEAD-BIAS-FREE·NOT A FORECAST·HISTORICAL CONDITIONAL AVERAGE

Regime Scan[01/04]

VIX
Normal (15-25)
+14.1%+1Y AVG
Δ +15.6%pp · n=3,036
10Y-2Y Yield Curve
Flat (0-100bps)
+10.6%+1Y AVG
Δ +12.2%pp · n=2,100
HY OAS Spread
Tight (<350bps)
+48.5%+1Y AVG
Δ +50.1%pp · n=915
Trade-Weighted Dollar
Weak (bottom tercile)
+0.4%+1Y AVG
Δ +1.9%pp · n=992

Δ = divergence from -1.5% unconditional all-history average

Performance by Window[02]

WINDOWNANN RETANN VOLRET/VOLHIT %TOTAL
1Y247-11.64%312.91%-0.0446.7%-11.60%
3Y74612.52%292.57%0.0447.9%42.42%
5Y1,249-0.63%235.50%-0.0048.0%-3.09%
10Y2,5143.44%185.81%0.0244.6%40.30%
All6,274-1.53%131.16%-0.0145.4%-32.05%

Annualized total return = (1 + total)^(1/years) - 1. Ret/Vol is the annualized return divided by annualized volatility (Sharpe-equivalent without risk-free subtraction). Hit % = pct of single periods that were positive.

Where We Are Now[03]

Percentile Rank
27.5th
1.21median 3.5830.72
Current value 2.8200 on a 6,274-observation history going back to Nov 8, 2024.
Volatility Regime
normal
58.17%REALIZED 30D ANN
Sits at the 48.5th percentile vs full history. Median 59.41%.

Forward Returns by Macro Regime[04]

How Henry Hub Natural Gas has performed historically conditional on the prevailing macro regime. The current bucket is highlighted; +1Y averages drive the headline signal above.

VIX
Volatility regime: Low (<15), Normal (15-25), Elevated (25-40), Extreme (>40)
CURRENT: 17.26 Normal (15-25)
REGIME BUCKETN+30D+90D+1Y AVG+1Y MEDHIT %
Low (<15)2,0742.30%3.11%9.16%1.52%52.1%
Normal (15-25)3,0362.50%7.64%14.10%5.12%55.4%
Elevated (25-40)9425.04%11.90%15.81%8.01%58.1%
Extreme (>40)193-7.36%-14.78%4.60%8.06%59.6%
10Y-2Y Yield Curve
Yield curve regime: Inverted (<0bps), Flat (0-100bps), Steep (>100bps)
CURRENT: 0.50 Flat (0-100bps)
REGIME BUCKETN+30D+90D+1Y AVG+1Y MEDHIT %
Inverted (<0bps)7790.35%-2.38%8.06%0.54%50.4%
Flat (0-100bps)2,1005.37%13.08%10.64%-0.68%49.1%
Steep (>100bps)3,3281.19%3.68%14.30%7.69%59.0%
HY OAS Spread
Credit regime: Tight (<350bps), Normal (350-500bps), Stressed (>500bps)
CURRENT: 2.76 Tight (<350bps)
REGIME BUCKETN+30D+90D+1Y AVG+1Y MEDHIT %
Tight (<350bps)9157.91%24.95%48.52%32.20%67.4%
Normal (350-500bps)1,3820.25%-4.64%-7.36%-15.00%31.5%
Stressed (>500bps)5594.82%15.23%38.34%40.87%78.2%
Trade-Weighted Dollar
Dollar regime: bottom/middle/top tercile of trailing 5Y rolling distribution
CURRENT: 118.04 Weak (bottom tercile)
REGIME BUCKETN+30D+90D+1Y AVG+1Y MEDHIT %
Weak (bottom tercile)9924.33%4.65%0.38%-10.69%41.9%
Neutral (middle)1,2232.65%12.52%22.32%11.04%71.2%
Strong (top tercile)2,5931.26%1.33%5.10%-6.19%44.3%

Forward returns are forward-looking from each historical observation in the bucket; +252d corresponds to one trading year. Buckets with fewer than 5 forward-return observations are reported as n/a. These are conditional historical averages, not forecasts.

Lead-Lag Relationships[05]

For each universally-recognised leading indicator, the lag at which the daily-return correlation peaks. Positive lag means the anchor leads Henry Hub Natural Gas; negative means it lags.

ANCHORROLEPEAK LAGPEAK CORRZERO-LAGRELATIONSHIP
HY OAS SpreadCredit risk leader+19d-0.050-0.025weak
VIXVolatility leader-25d0.0460.006weak
Trade-Weighted DollarFX driver+47d-0.040-0.034weak
Baa-10Y SpreadCredit risk (slow)-35d0.039-0.002weak
CopperGlobal growth proxy-51d0.0370.007weak
Initial Jobless ClaimsLabor leader-58d-0.036-0.007weak
10Y-2Y Yield SpreadRecession leader0d0.0320.032weak
10Y Treasury YieldDiscount-rate driver+47d-0.0290.007weak
NFCIFinancial conditions+15d0.021-0.007weak
U-Mich Consumer SentimentSurvey leader0d0.0000.000weak

Pearson correlation of daily returns over up to 25 years of overlapping history, searched across a ±60-day lag grid. Indicators classified as “weak” don't have meaningful predictive power at daily resolution; many of these (yield curve, NFCI, sentiment) lead at monthly/quarterly horizons instead.

Historical Analogs[06]

Periods where Henry Hub Natural Gas sat at a similar percentile rank to today, with what happened over the next 30 / 90 / 252 trading days. Analogs are clustered to avoid double-counting nearby dates.

DATEVALUE+30D+90D+1Y
Apr 25, 20252.710015.50%14.76%-1.48%
Dec 27, 20242.910025.43%11.00%-2.06%
Jun 14, 20242.7400-33.94%-25.55%25.18%
Jan 18, 20242.8800-48.96%-20.49%52.78%
Oct 19, 20232.8400-7.39%-41.20%-38.03%

Worst Historical Drawdown[07]

-94.93%PEAK-TO-TROUGH
Peak Feb 17, 2021 → trough Nov 8, 2024. Recovered to prior peak on Jan 23, 2026 (441 days).
All-time high: 30.7200 on Jan 23, 2026 · Current DD from ATH: -90.82%

Cross-Asset Correlations · 1Y[08]

S&P 500
-0.014
n=238
Nasdaq 100
-0.007
n=238
20Y Treasury
0.033
n=238
Gold
0.062
n=238
Bitcoin
-0.010
n=240

Largest Single-Period Moves[09]

▲ Up
  • Jan 12, 2024319.05%
  • Jan 23, 2026264.85%
  • Jan 17, 2025129.30%
  • Feb 17, 2021110.78%
  • Feb 16, 202184.97%
▼ Down
  • Jan 16, 2024-75.38%
  • Feb 18, 2021-64.12%
  • Jan 21, 2025-55.38%
  • Jan 28, 2026-45.67%
  • Feb 26, 2003-43.34%

Calendar-Month Seasonality[10]

Average single-period return aggregated by the calendar month in which the period ended.

MONTHAVG RETURNHIT %N
January1.23%46.0%509
February0.23%42.6%481
March0.06%46.0%546
April0.12%46.5%520
May0.18%44.4%525
June0.18%48.0%529
July0.02%43.3%529
August-0.11%44.6%554
September0.16%46.2%507
October0.42%47.6%548
November0.61%46.9%501
December-0.19%42.2%524

N = 6,274 OBS · GENERATED 2026-05-18 10:30Z

Forecast Approach

scenario weighted: We aggregate probability-weighted outcomes across active tracked scenarios, each with historical base rates and current heat scores. The projection above is the sample-weighted central estimate across current macro regime anchors; the scenario list below adds qualitative context.

Consensus source: Futures curve

Key Drivers & Risks

  • Supply disruptions
  • Demand growth
  • Dollar strength
  • Geopolitics
  • Weather

Historical Volatility

High: 20-50% annual swings common

Frequently Asked Questions

What factors could push Henry Hub Natural Gas higher?

The primary drivers that tend to lift Henry Hub Natural Gas depend on the current macro regime. Commodities sit at the intersection of monetary and physical reality. Oil and gas prices flow almost directly into headline CPI, while copper and iron ore track global industrial activity ahead of official releases. Tracking each complex alongside its supply signal (EIA inventories, rig counts, seaborne cargo flows) separates genuine demand moves from inventory-cycle noise. Convex tracks these drivers live across the Commodities category and flags when multiple forces align in the same direction. See the "Key Drivers & Risks" section on this page for the current list, and check the regime dashboard for how the macro backdrop is currently tilted.

What factors could push Henry Hub Natural Gas lower?

The same transmission channels that drive Henry Hub Natural Gas higher operate in reverse when conditions flip. The risk drivers listed above map directly to scenarios that, if triggered, would pull this metric in the opposite direction. Convex aggregates these into a scenario-weighted probability distribution rather than a point forecast, so the magnitude depends on which scenarios activate.

Where does consensus see Henry Hub Natural Gas heading?

Rather than publish a point target that goes stale the day after release, Convex assembles consensus from the macro regime classification, active scenario probabilities, and historical base rates. Point forecasts from banks and strategists are worth reading for context, but they typically cluster around the consensus and miss the tail events that actually move markets. The scenario-weighted approach here captures that tail risk explicitly.

What is the historical range for Henry Hub Natural Gas?

Historical ranges for Henry Hub Natural Gas vary dramatically by regime. A level that is extreme in Goldilocks can be routine in Stagflation, and vice versa. The Historical Volatility section on this page describes the typical range and regime-specific behavior. For the full multi-decade history, visit the Henry Hub Natural Gas chart page, which includes selectable time ranges up to five years and downloadable data.

How often is the Henry Hub Natural Gas forecast updated?

This forecast page recalculates whenever the underlying data or regime classification changes, typically within hours of new data releases. The scenario probabilities refresh daily as the macro state is regenerated. Specific drivers listed on this page reflect the current state of the Convex regime engine, not static historical assumptions.

Is this forecast actionable for trading?

Convex forecasts are informational and educational. They describe probability distributions and regime-conditional paths rather than specific entry and exit levels. Traders and portfolio managers use them alongside other inputs including position sizing rules, risk management, and their own conviction calibration. They are not investment advice.

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Forecasts are model-based projections derived from current regime classification, scenario probabilities, and historical patterns. They are not investment advice. All investments involve risk.