The Energy Department said natural-gas inventories rose 19 billion cubic feet for the week ended Oct. 20.

Analysts at Global Insight expected a bigger climb of 35 billion. Total stocks now stand at 3.461 trillion cubic feet, up 333 billion cubic feet from the year-ago level, and 315 billion cubic feet above the five-year average, the government data said.

November natural gas rose 12.7 cents to a seven-week high of $7.82 per million British thermal units, bouncing off an earlier low of $7.58.