NYMEX natgas funds add to net short futures - CFTC

NEW YORK, April 10 (Reuters) - Noncommercial or speculative investment funds on the New York Mercantile Exchange increased their net short natural gas futures exposure by 3,747 contracts for the week ended April 7, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission said in a report on Friday.

The report showed funds holding 126,205 net short futures, from the previous week's total of 122,458.

Noncommercial speculative traders boosted their total short futures exposure by 8,913 contracts to 201,812, while they added 5,166 longs, increasing total length to 75,607.

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 April 7, total natural gas futures open interest, or the number of longs or shorts outstanding, rose 7,745 contracts to 592,320.

In combined futures and options, the report showed funds cut 1,556 contracts from their net short positions, decreasing the total to 31,029.

Fund net short futures and options positions combined hit a record high 285,828 in early July.

(New York Energy Desk, 646 281 6056)