NYMEX natgas funds add to net short futures

NEW YORK, July 10 (Reuters) - Noncommercial or speculative investment funds on the New York Mercantile Exchange increased their net short natural gas futures exposure by more than 7,000 contracts for the week ended July 7, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission said in a report on Friday.

The report showed funds holding 160,481 net short futures, up 7,212 contracts from the previous week's total of 153,269.

Funds have added to their net short natural gas futures positions in 15 of the last 17 weeks.

Noncommercial speculative traders increased their total short futures exposure by 11,375 contracts to 258,983, while they added 4,163 longs to 98,502.

Fund net short futures only positions hit a record high of 177,606 in late September.

The largest net long futures only position ever held by funds was 55,495 in August 1999.

For the week ended July 7, total natural gas futures open interest, or the number of longs or shorts outstanding, rose 26,338 contracts to 739,142.

In combined futures and options, the report showed funds added 1,243 contracts to their net short positions, increasing the total to 69,353.

Fund net short futures and options positions combined hit a record high 285,828 last July. (Reporting by Eileen Moustakis)