21.  Prospects for more favorable weather sent speculators from the market, selling contracts to offset existing long positions and exaggerating the decline, analysts said.

22.  Simply put, if the stock market rises, the long positions make money and the shorts lose money.

23.  Speculators sold contracts to offset existing long positions, exaggerating the decline, traders said.

24.  Speculators who buy futures contracts, or take long positions, are generally betting that prices will rise.

25.  That is a position long held by many Democrats.

26.  The unexpected gain in the number again gave some investors an excuse to sell off long positions, as bond prices quickly backed away from session highs.

27.  Then any piece of good news can cause a strong rally by encouraging traders to cover their short sales and establish new long positions, Keithler said.

28.  Western Natural Gas futures finished lower as traders holding long positions liquidated contracts.

29.  Western Natural Gas futures finished lower as traders holding long positions sold contracts ahead of the weekend.

30.  Western Natural Gas futures finished lower in moderate trading as investors holding long positions sold contracts.