United States Natural Gas Fund, LP - Quarter Report: 2008 September (Form 10-Q)
UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
FORM
10-Q
x
|
Quarterly
report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934 for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2008.
|
OR
¨
|
Transition
report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934 for the transition period
from to .
|
Commission
file number: 001-33096
United
States Natural Gas Fund, LP
(Exact
name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware
|
20-5576760
|
|
(State
or other jurisdiction of
incorporation
or organization)
|
(I.R.S.
Employer
Identification
No.)
|
1320
Harbor Bay Parkway, Suite 145
Alameda,
California 94502
(Address
of principal executive offices) (Zip code)
(510)
522-3336
(Registrant’s
telephone number, including area code)
N/A
(Former
name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to
be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant
was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing
requirements for the past 90 days.
x
Yes ¨
No
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an
accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company.
See
the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller
reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large
accelerated filer ¨
|
Accelerated
filer ¨
|
||
Non-accelerated
filer x
|
Smaller
reporting company ¨
|
||
(Do
not check if a smaller reporting
company)
|
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule
12b-2 of the Exchange Act).
¨
Yes x
No
UNITED
STATES NATURAL GAS FUND, LP
Table
of Contents
Part
I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
|
Page
|
Item
1. Condensed Financial Statements.
|
1
|
|
|
Item
2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and
Results of Operations.
|
14
|
|
|
Item
3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market
Risk.
|
25
|
|
|
Item
4. Controls and Procedures.
|
26
|
|
|
Part
II. OTHER INFORMATION
|
|
Item
1. Legal Proceedings.
|
27
|
Item
1A. Risk Factors.
|
27
|
Item
2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of
Proceeds.
|
27
|
Item
3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities.
|
27
|
Item
4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.
|
27
|
Item
5. Other Information.
|
27
|
|
|
Item
6. Exhibits.
|
27
|
Part
I. FINANCIAL
INFORMATION
Item 1. Condensed
Financial Statements.
Index
to Condensed Financial Statements
Documents
|
Page
|
|
Condensed
Statements of Financial Condition at September 30, 2008 (Unaudited)
and
December 31, 2007
|
2
|
|
|
||
Condensed
Schedule of Investments (Unaudited) at September 30, 2008
|
3
|
|
|
||
Condensed
Statements of Operations (Unaudited) for the three and nine months
ended
September 30, 2008, the three months ended September 30, 2007 and
the
period from April 18, 2007 (commencement of operations) to September
30,
2007
|
4
|
|
Condensed
Statement of Changes in Partners’ Capital (Unaudited) for the nine months
ended September 30, 2008
|
5
|
|
|
||
Condensed
Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) for the nine months ended September
30, 2008 and the period from April 18, 2007 (commencement of operations)
to September 30, 2007
|
6
|
|
|
||
Notes
to Condensed Financial Statements for the period ended September
30, 2008 (Unaudited)
|
7
|
1
United
States Natural Gas Fund, LP
Condensed
Statements of Financial Condition
At September
30, 2008 (Unaudited) and December 31, 2007
September 30, 2008
|
December 31, 2007
|
||||||
Assets
|
|||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
$
|
746,340,455
|
$
|
488,067,199
|
|||
Equity
in UBS Securities LLC trading accounts:
|
|||||||
Cash
|
401,177,185
|
85,115,889
|
|||||
Unrealized
gain (loss) on open commodity futures contracts
|
(55,301,140
|
)
|
20,043,880
|
||||
Receivable
for units sold
|
30,524,688
|
-
|
|||||
Interest
receivable
|
1,389,137
|
690,046
|
|||||
Other
assets
|
1,573,483
|
92,955
|
|||||
Total
assets
|
$
|
1,125,703,808
|
$
|
594,009,969
|
|||
Liabilities
and Partners' Capital
|
|||||||
General
Partner management fees (Note 3)
|
$
|
559,614
|
$
|
264,556
|
|||
Brokerage
commissions payable
|
43,500
|
22,800
|
|||||
Other
liabilities
|
10,486,746
|
327,632
|
|||||
Total
liabilities
|
11,089,860
|
614,988
|
|||||
Commitments
and Contingencies (Notes
3, 4 and 5)
|
|||||||
Partners'
Capital
|
|||||||
General
Partner
|
-
|
-
|
|||||
Limited
Partners
|
1,114,613,948
|
593,394,981
|
|||||
Total
Partners' Capital
|
1,114,613,948
|
593,394,981
|
|||||
Total
liabilities and partners' capital
|
$
|
1,125,703,808
|
$
|
594,009,969
|
|||
Limited
Partners' units outstanding
|
33,700,000
|
16,400,000
|
|||||
Net
asset value per unit
|
$
|
33.07
|
$
|
36.18
|
|||
Market
value per unit
|
$
|
33.32
|
$
|
36.24
|
See
accompanying notes to condensed financial statements.
2
United
States Natural Gas Fund, LP
Condensed
Schedule of Investments (Unaudited)
At
September 30, 2008
Open
Futures Contracts
|
Number of
Contracts |
Loss on Open
Commodity Contracts |
% of
Partners' Capital |
|||||||
United States Contracts
|
||||||||||
Natural
Gas Futures contracts, expire November 2008
|
14,982
|
$
|
(55,301,140
|
)
|
(4.96
|
)
|
||||
Cash
Equivalents
|
||||||||||
Cost
|
Market Value
|
|||||||||
United
States - Money Market Funds
|
||||||||||
Goldman
Sachs Financial Square Funds - Government Fund
|
$
|
346,839,247
|
$
|
346,839,247
|
31.12
|
|||||
Goldman
Sachs Financial Square Funds - Treasury Instruments Fund
|
100,000,000
|
100,000,000
|
8.97
|
|||||||
$
|
446,839,247
|
446,839,247
|
40.09
|
|||||||
Cash
|
299,501,208
|
26.87
|
||||||||
Total
Cash and Cash Equivalents
|
746,340,455
|
66.96
|
||||||||
Cash
on deposit with broker
|
401,177,185
|
35.99
|
||||||||
Other
assets and receivables in excess of liabilities
|
22,397,448
|
2.01
|
||||||||
Total
Partners' Capital
|
$
|
1,114,613,948
|
100.00
|
See
accompanying notes to condensed financial statements.
3
United
States Natural Gas Fund, LP
Condensed
Statements of Operations (Unaudited)
For
the three and nine months ended September 30, 2008, the three months ended
September 30, 2007 and the period from April 18, 2007 (commencement of
operations) to September 30, 2007
Three months
ended
|
Three months
ended
|
Nine months
ended
|
Period from
April 18, 2007 to
|
||||||||||
September 30,
2008
|
September 30,
2007
|
September 30,
2008
|
September 30,
2007
|
||||||||||
Income
|
|||||||||||||
Gains
(losses) on trading of commodity
futures contracts:
|
|||||||||||||
Realized
gains (losses) on closed positions
|
$
|
(449,877,410
|
)
|
$
|
10,910,020
|
$
|
(133,896,820
|
)
|
$
|
11,177,140
|
|||
Change
in unrealized gains
(losses) on open positions
|
(86,404,030
|
)
|
(5,174,930
|
)
|
(75,345,020
|
)
|
(13,529,200
|
)
|
|||||
Interest
income
|
4,484,691
|
2,872,836
|
10,380,019
|
3,287,018
|
|||||||||
Other
income
|
76,000
|
48,000
|
147,000
|
62,000
|
|||||||||
Total
income (loss)
|
(531,720,749
|
)
|
8,655,926
|
(198,714,821
|
)
|
996,958
|
|||||||
Expenses
|
|||||||||||||
General
Partner management
fees (Note 3)
|
1,390,316
|
387,014
|
3,177,614
|
445,377
|
|||||||||
Brokerage
commissions
|
324,156
|
142,680
|
604,734
|
158,534
|
|||||||||
Other
expenses
|
344,704
|
91,811
|
1,137,971
|
97,051
|
|||||||||
Total
expenses
|
2,059,176
|
621,505
|
4,920,319
|
700,962
|
|||||||||
Net
income (loss)
|
|
$
|
(533,779,925
|
)
|
$
|
8,304,421
|
|
$
|
(203,635,140
|
)
|
$
|
295,996
|
|
Net
loss per limited
partnership unit
|
|
$
|
(29.59
|
)
|
$
|
(5.28
|
)
|
$
|
(3.11
|
)
|
$
|
(11.79
|
)
|
Net
income (loss) per weighted
average limited partnership
unit
|
|
$
|
(22.71
|
)
|
$
|
1.17
|
|
$
|
(12.67
|
)
|
$
|
0.07
|
|
Weighted
average limited partnership
units outstanding
|
23,500,000
|
6,856,522
|
16,072,263
|
4,224,096
|
See
accompanying notes to condensed financial statements.
4
United
States Natural Gas Fund, LP
Condensed
Statement of Changes in Partners’ Capital (Unaudited)
For
the nine months ended September 30, 2008
General Partner
|
Limited Partners
|
Total
|
||||||||
Balances,
at December 31, 2007
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
593,394,981
|
$
|
593,394,981
|
||||
Addition
of 59,700,000 partnership units
|
-
|
2,424,328,917
|
2,424,328,917
|
|||||||
Redemption
of 42,400,000 partnership units
|
-
|
(1,699,474,810
|
)
|
(1,699,474,810
|
)
|
|||||
Net
loss
|
-
|
(203,635,140
|
)
|
(203,635,140
|
)
|
|||||
Balances,
at September 30, 2008
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
1,114,613,948
|
$
|
1,114,613,948
|
||||
Net
Asset Value Per Unit
|
||||||||||
At
December 31, 2007
|
$
|
36.18
|
||||||||
At
September 30, 2008
|
$
|
33.07
|
See
accompanying notes to condensed financial statements.
5
United
States Natural Gas Fund, LP
Condensed
Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited)
For
the nine months ended September 30, 2008 and the period from April 18, 2007
(commencement of operations) to September 30, 2007
Nine months
ended
|
Period from
April 18, 2007 to
|
||||||
September 30,
2008
|
September 30,
2007
|
||||||
Cash
Flows from Operating Activities:
|
|||||||
Net
income (loss)
|
$
|
(203,635,140
|
)
|
$
|
295,996
|
||
Adjustments
to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash used in operating
activities:
|
|||||||
Increase
in commodity futures trading account - cash
|
(316,061,296
|
)
|
(130,383,326
|
)
|
|||
Unrealized
losses on futures contracts
|
75,345,020
|
13,529,200
|
|||||
Increase
in interest receivable and other assets
|
(2,179,619
|
)
|
(961,354
|
)
|
|||
Increase
in management fees payable
|
295,058
|
204,203
|
|||||
Increase
in commissions payable
|
20,700
|
22,800
|
|||||
Increase
in other liabilities
|
236,863
|
91,715
|
|||||
Net
cash used in operating activities
|
(445,978,414
|
)
|
(117,200,766
|
)
|
|||
Cash
Flows from Financing Activities:
|
|||||||
Subscription
of partnership units
|
2,393,804,229
|
733,762,221
|
|||||
Redemption
of partnership units
|
(1,689,552,559
|
)
|
(313,842,312
|
)
|
|||
Net
cash provided by financing activities
|
704,251,670
|
419,919,909
|
|||||
Net
Increase in Cash and Cash Equivalents
|
258,273,256
|
302,719,143
|
|||||
Cash
and Cash Equivalents,
beginning of period
|
488,067,199
|
1,000
|
|||||
Cash
and Cash Equivalents,
end of period
|
$
|
746,340,455
|
$
|
302,720,143
|
See
accompanying notes to condensed financial statements.
6
Notes
to Condensed Financial Statements
For
the period ended September 30, 2008 (Unaudited)
NOTE
1 - ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS
The
United States Natural Gas Fund, LP (“USNG”) was organized as a limited
partnership under the laws of the state of Delaware on September 11, 2006.
USNG
is a commodity pool that issues units that may be purchased and sold on the
American Stock Exchange (the “AMEX”). USNG will continue in perpetuity, unless
terminated sooner upon the occurrence of one or more events as described in
its
Second Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership dated as of
December 4, 2007 (the “LP Agreement”). The investment objective of USNG is
for the changes in percentage terms of its net asset value to reflect the
changes in percentage terms of the price of natural gas delivered at the
Henry Hub, Louisiana as measured by the changes in the price of the futures
contract on natural gas as traded on the New York Mercantile Exchange (the
“NYMEX”) that is the near month contract to expire, except when the near month
contract is within two weeks of expiration, in which case the futures contract
will be the next month contract to expire, less USNG’s expenses. USNG
accomplishes its objective through investments in futures contracts for natural
gas, crude oil, heating oil, gasoline and other petroleum-based fuels that
are
traded on the NYMEX, ICE Futures or other U.S. and foreign exchanges
(collectively, “Futures Contracts”) and other natural gas-related investments
such as cash-settled options on Futures Contracts, forward contracts for
natural gas and over-the-counter transactions that are based on the price of
natural gas, crude oil and other petroleum-based fuels, Futures
Contracts and indices based on the foregoing (collectively, “Other Natural
Gas-Related Investments”). As of September 30, 2008, USNG held 14,982 Futures
Contracts traded on the NYMEX.
USNG
commenced investment operations on April 18, 2007 and has a fiscal year ending
on December 31. United States Commodity Funds LLC (formerly known as Victoria
Bay Asset Management, LLC) (the “General Partner”) is responsible for the
management of USNG. The General Partner is a member of the National Futures
Association (the “NFA”) and became a commodity pool operator with the Commodity
Futures Trading Commission effective December 1, 2005. The General Partner
is
also the general partner of the United States Oil Fund, LP (“USOF”), the United
States 12 Month Oil Fund, LP (“US12OF”), the United States Gasoline Fund, LP
(“USG”) and the United States Heating Oil Fund, LP (“USHO”), which listed their
limited partnership units on the AMEX under the ticker symbols “USO” on April
10, 2006, “USL” on December 6, 2007, “UGA” on February 26, 2008 and “UHN” on
April 9, 2008, respectively.
The
accompanying unaudited condensed financial statements have been prepared in
accordance with Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X promulgated by the U.S. Securities
and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and, therefore, do not include all
information and footnote disclosure required under accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States of America. The financial
information included herein is unaudited, however, such financial information
reflects all adjustments which are, in the opinion of management, necessary
for
the fair presentation of the condensed financial statements for the interim
period.
USNG issues
limited partnership interests (“units”) to certain authorized purchasers
(“Authorized Purchasers”) by offering baskets consisting of 100,000 units
(“Creation Baskets”) through ALPS Distributors, Inc. (the “Marketing Agent”).
The purchase price for a Creation Basket is based upon the net asset value
of
a unit determined as of the earlier of the close of the New York Stock
Exchange (the “NYSE”) or 4:00 p.m. New York time on the day the order to create
the basket is properly received. In addition, Authorized Purchasers pay
USNG a $1,000 fee for each order to create one or more Creation
Baskets. Units may be purchased or sold on a nationally recognized
securities exchange in smaller increments than a Creation Basket. Units
purchased or sold on a nationally recognized securities exchange are not
purchased or sold at the net asset value of USNG but rather at market prices
quoted on such exchange.
In
April
2007, USNG initially registered 30,000,000 units on Form S-1 with the SEC.
On
April 18, 2007, USNG listed its units on the AMEX under the ticker symbol “UNG”.
On that day, USNG established its initial net asset value by setting the price
at $50.00 per unit and issued 200,000 units in exchange for $10,001,000. USNG
also commenced investment operations on April 18, 2007 by purchasing Futures
Contracts traded on the NYMEX based on natural gas. As of September 30, 2008,
USNG had registered a total of 180,000,000 units.
7
NOTE
2 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Revenue
Recognition
Commodity
futures contracts, forward contracts, physical commodities and related options
are recorded on the trade date. All such transactions are recorded on the
identified cost basis and marked to market daily. Unrealized gains or losses
on
open contracts are reflected in the condensed statement of financial condition
and in the difference between the original contract amount and the market value
(as determined by exchange settlement prices for futures contracts and related
options and cash dealer prices at a predetermined time for forward contracts,
physical commodities, and their related options) as of the last business day
of
the year or as of the last date of the condensed financial statements. Changes
in the unrealized gains or losses between periods are reflected in the condensed
statement of operations. USNG earns interest on its assets denominated
in U.S. dollars on deposit with the futures commission merchant at the
overnight Federal Funds Rate less 32 basis points. In addition, USNG earns
interest on funds held at the custodian at prevailing market rates earned on
such investments.
Brokerage
Commissions
Brokerage
commissions on all open commodity futures contracts are accrued on a full-turn
basis.
Income
Taxes
USNG
is
not subject to federal income taxes; each partner reports its allocable share
of
income, gain, loss deductions or credits on its own income tax
return.
Creations
and Redemptions
Authorized
Purchasers may purchase units (“Creation Baskets”) or redeem units (“Redemption
Baskets”) only in blocks of 100,000 units equal to the net asset value of
the units determined as of the earlier of the close of the NYSE or 4:00
p.m. New York time on the day the order is placed.
USNG
records units sold or redeemed one business day after the trade date of the
purchase or redemption. The amounts due from Authorized Purchasers
are reflected in USNG’s condensed statement of financial condition as receivable
for units sold, and amounts payable to Authorized Purchasers upon redemption
are
reflected as payable for units redeemed.
Partnership
Capital and Allocation of Partnership Income and Losses
Profit
or
loss is allocated among the partners of USNG in proportion to the number of
units each partner holds as of the close of each month. The General Partner
may
revise, alter or otherwise modify this method of allocation as described in
the
LP Agreement.
Calculation
of Net Asset Value
USNG calculates
its net asset value on each trading day by taking the current market value
of
its total assets, subtracting any liabilities and dividing the amount by the
total number of units issued and outstanding. USNG uses the closing price
for the contracts on the relevant exchange on that day to determine the value
of
contracts held on such exchange.
Net
Income (Loss) per Unit
Net
income (loss) per unit is the difference between the net asset value per
unit at the beginning of each period and at the end of each period. The weighted
average number of units outstanding was computed for purposes of disclosing
net
income (loss) per weighted average unit. The weighted average units are
equal to the number of units outstanding at the end of the period, adjusted
proportionately for units redeemed based on the amount of time the units were
outstanding during such period. There were no units held by the General Partner
at September 30, 2008.
8
Offering
Costs
Offering
costs incurred in connection with the registration of additional units after
the
initial registration of units are borne by USNG. These costs include
registration fees paid to regulatory agencies and all legal, accounting,
printing and other expenses associated therewith. These costs will be accounted
for as a deferred charge and thereafter amortized to expense over twelve months
on a straight-line basis or a shorter period if warranted.
Cash
Equivalents
Cash
and
cash equivalents include money market funds and overnight deposits or
time deposits with original maturity dates of three months or
less.
Use
of Estimates
The
preparation of condensed financial statements in conformity with accounting
principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires USNG’s
management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amount
of
assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities
at
the date of the condensed financial statements, and the reported amounts of
the
revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ
from those estimates and assumptions.
NOTE
3 - FEES PAID BY USNG AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
General
Partner Management Fee
Under
the
LP Agreement, the General Partner is responsible for investing the assets of
USNG in accordance with the objectives and policies of USNG. In addition, the
General Partner has arranged for one or more third parties to provide
administrative, custody, accounting, transfer agency and other necessary
services to USNG. For these services, USNG is contractually obligated to
pay the General Partner a fee, which is paid monthly and based on average
daily net assets, that is equal to 0.60% per annum on average daily net assets
of $1,000,000,000 or less and 0.50% per annum on average daily net assets that
are greater than $1,000,000,000.
Ongoing
Registration Fees and Other Offering Expenses
USNG pays
all costs and expenses associated with the ongoing registration of units
subsequent to the initial offering. These costs include registration or
other fees paid to regulatory agencies in connection with the offer and sale
of
units, and all legal, accounting, printing and other expenses associated with
such offer and sale. For the nine month period ended September 30, 2008, USNG
incurred $216,699 in registration fees and other offering expenses. USNG did
not
incur registration fees for the period from April 18, 2007 (commencement of
operations) to September 30, 2007.
Directors’
Fees
USNG
is
responsible for paying the fees and expenses, including directors’ and officers’
liability insurance, of the independent directors of the General Partner who
are
also audit committee members. USNG shares these fees with USOF, US12OF, USG
and USHO based on the relative assets of each fund, computed on a daily basis.
These fees for the calendar year 2008 are estimated to be a total of $286,000
for all five funds.
Licensing
Fees
As
discussed in Note 4, USNG entered into a licensing agreement with the NYMEX
on
May 30, 2007. The agreement has an effective date of April 10, 2006. Pursuant
to
the agreement, USNG and the affiliated funds managed by the General
Partner pay a licensing fee that is equal to 0.04% for the first
$1,000,000,000 of combined assets of the funds and 0.02% for combined
assets above $1,000,000,000. During the nine month period ended September 30,
2008 and the period from April 18, 2007 (commencement of operations) to
September 30, 2007, USNG incurred $175,384 and $29,692, respectively, under
this arrangement.
9
Investor
Tax Reporting Cost
The
fees
and expenses associated with USNG’s tax accounting and reporting requirements,
with the exception of certain initial implementation service fees and base
service fees which were borne by the General Partner, are paid by USNG. These
costs are estimated to be $429,073 for the year ending December 31,
2008.
Other
Expenses and Fees
In
addition to the fees described above, USNG pays all brokerage fees, taxes
and other expenses in connection with the operation of USNG, excluding costs
and
expenses paid by the General Partner as outlined in Note 4.
NOTE
4 - CONTRACTS AND AGREEMENTS
USNG
is
party to a marketing agent agreement, dated as of April 17, 2007, with the
Marketing Agent, whereby the Marketing Agent provides certain marketing services
for USNG as outlined in the agreement. The fee of the Marketing Agent, which
is
borne by the General Partner, is equal to 0.06% on USNG’s assets up to $3
billion; and 0.04% on USNG’s assets in excess of $3 billion.
The
above
fee does not include the following expenses, which are also borne by the General
Partner: the cost of placing advertisements in various periodicals; web
construction and development; or the printing and production of various
marketing materials.
USNG
is
also party to a custodian agreement, dated January 12, 2007, with Brown Brothers
Harriman & Co. (“BBH&Co.”), whereby BBH&Co. holds investments on
behalf of USNG. The General Partner pays the fees of the custodian, which
are determined by the parties from time to time. In addition, USNG is party
to
an administrative agency agreement, dated March 5, 2007, with the General
Partner and BBH&Co., whereby BBH&Co. acts as the administrative
agent, transfer agent and registrar for USNG. The General Partner also pays
the
fees of BBH&Co. for its services under this agreement and such fees are
determined by the parties from time to time.
Currently,
the General Partner pays BBH&Co. for its services, in the foregoing
capacities, the greater of a minimum of $125,000 annually or an asset-based
charge of (a) 0.06% for the first $500 million of USNG’s, USOF’s, US12OF’s,
USG’s and USHO’s combined net assets, (b) 0.0465% for USNG’s, USOF’s,
US12OF’s, USG’s and USHO’s combined net assets greater than $500 million but
less than $1 billion, and (c) 0.035% for USNG’s, USOF’s, US12OF’s, USG’s and
USHO’s combined net assets in excess of $1 billion. The General Partner
also pays a $25,000 annual fee for the transfer agency services and transaction
fees ranging from $7.00 to $15.00 per transaction.
USNG
has
entered into a brokerage agreement with UBS Securities LLC (“UBS
Securities”). The agreement requires UBS Securities to provide services to USNG
in connection with the purchase and sale of Futures Contracts and Other
Natural Gas-Related Investments that may be purchased and sold by or through
UBS
Securities for USNG’s account. The agreement provides that UBS
Securities charge USNG commissions of approximately $7 per round-turn
trade, plus applicable exchange and NFA fees for Futures Contracts and options
on Futures Contracts.
USNG invests
primarily in Futures Contracts traded on the NYMEX. On May 30, 2007, USNG
and the NYMEX entered into a license agreement whereby USNG was granted a
non-exclusive license to use certain of the NYMEX’s settlement prices and
service marks. The agreement has an effective date of April 10, 2006. Under
the license agreement, USNG and the affiliated funds managed by the General
Partner pay the NYMEX an asset-based fee for the license, the
terms of which are described in Note 3.
USNG
expressly disclaims any association with the NYMEX or endorsement of USNG by
the
NYMEX and acknowledges that “NYMEX” and “New York Mercantile Exchange” are
registered trademarks of the NYMEX.
10
NOTE
5 - FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS, OFF-BALANCE SHEET RISKS AND
CONTINGENCIES
USNG engages
in the speculative trading of futures contracts and options on
futures contracts (collectively, “derivatives”). USNG is exposed to both
market risk, which is the risk arising from changes in the market value of
the
contracts, and credit risk, which is the risk of failure by another party to
perform according to the terms of a contract.
All
of
the contracts currently traded by USNG are exchange-traded. The risks
associated with exchange-traded contracts are generally perceived to be less
than those associated with over-the-counter transactions since, in
over-the-counter transactions, USNG must rely solely on the credit of its
respective individual counterparties. However, in the future, if USNG were
to
enter into non-exchange traded contracts, it would be subject to the credit
risk
associated with counterparty non-performance. The credit risk from counterparty
non-performance associated with such instruments is the net unrealized gain,
if
any. USNG also has credit risk since the sole counterparty to all domestic
and
foreign futures contracts is the exchange on which the relevant contracts are
traded. In addition, USNG bears the risk of financial failure by the clearing
broker.
The
purchase and sale of futures and options on futures contracts require margin
deposits with a futures commission merchant. Additional deposits may be
necessary for any loss on contract value. The Commodity Exchange Act requires
a
futures commission merchant to segregate all customer transactions and assets
from the futures commission merchant’s proprietary activities.
USNG’s
cash and other property, such as U.S. Treasuries, deposited with a futures
commission merchant are considered commingled with all other customer funds
subject to the futures commission merchant’s segregation requirements. In the
event of a futures commission merchant’s insolvency, recovery may be limited to
a pro rata share of segregated funds available. It is possible that the
recovered amount could be less than the total of cash and other property
deposited. The insolvency of a futures commission merchant could result in
the
complete loss of USNG’s assets posted with that futures commission merchant;
however, the vast majority of USNG’s assets are held in Treasuries, cash and/or
cash equivalents with USNG’s custodian and would not be impacted by the
insolvency of a futures commission merchant. Also, the failure or insolvency
of
USNG’s custodian could result in a substantial loss of USNG’s
assets.
USNG invests
its cash in money market funds that seek to maintain a stable net asset
value. USNG is exposed to any risk of loss associated with an investment
in these money market funds. As of September 30, 2008 and December 31, 2007,
USNG had deposits in domestic and foreign financial institutions, including
cash
investments in money market funds, in the amounts of $1,147,517,640 and
$573,183,088, respectively. This amount is subject to loss should these
institutions cease operations.
For
derivatives, risks arise from changes in the market value of the contracts.
Theoretically, USNG is exposed to a market risk equal to the value of
futures contracts purchased and unlimited liability on such contracts sold
short. As both a buyer and a seller of options, USNG pays or receives a premium
at the outset and then bears the risk of unfavorable changes in the price of
the
contract underlying the option.
USNG’s
policy is to continuously monitor its exposure to market and counterparty risk
through the use of a variety of financial, position and credit exposure
reporting controls and procedures. In addition, USNG has a policy of
requiring review of the credit standing of each broker or counterparty with
which it conducts business.
The
financial instruments held by USNG are reported in its condensed statement
of
financial condition at market or fair value, or at carrying amounts that
approximate fair value, because of their highly liquid nature and short-term
maturity.
NOTE 6
- FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
The
following table presents per unit performance data and other supplemental
financial data for the nine months ended September 30, 2008 and the period
from
April 18, 2007 (commencement of operations) to September 30, 2007 for the
limited partners. This information has been derived from information presented
in the condensed financial statements.
11
For the nine months ended
|
For the period from
April 18, 2007 to
|
||||||
September 30, 2008
(Unaudited)
|
September 30, 2007
(Unaudited)
|
||||||
Per
Unit Operating Performance:
|
|||||||
Net
asset value, beginning of period
|
$
|
36.18
|
$
|
50.00
|
|||
Total
loss
|
(2.80
|
)
|
(11.62
|
)
|
|||
Total
expenses
|
(0.31
|
)
|
(0.17
|
)
|
|||
Net
decrease in net asset value
|
(3.11
|
)
|
(11.79
|
)
|
|||
Net
asset value, end of period
|
$
|
33.07
|
$
|
38.21
|
|||
Total
Return
|
(8.60
|
)%
|
(23.58
|
)%
|
|||
Ratios
to Average Net Assets
|
|||||||
Total
income (loss)
|
(27.93
|
)%
|
0.61
|
%
|
|||
Expenses
excluding management fees*
|
(0.33
|
)%
|
(0.34
|
)%
|
|||
Management
fees*
|
(0.60
|
)%
|
(0.60
|
)%
|
|||
Net
income (loss)
|
(28.62
|
)%
|
0.18
|
%
|
*Annualized
Total
returns are calculated based on the change in value during the period. An
individual limited partner’s total return and ratio may vary from the above
total returns and ratios based on the timing of contributions to and withdrawals
from USNG.
NOTE 7
– RECENTLY ISSUED ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS
Effective
January 1, 2008, USNG adopted FAS 157 – Fair Value Measurements (“FAS 157” or
the “Statement”). FAS 157 defines fair value, establishes a framework for
measuring fair value in generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), and
expands disclosures about fair value measurement. The changes to current
practice resulting from the application of the Statement relate to the
definition of fair value, the methods used to measure fair value, and the
expanded disclosures about fair value measurement. The Statement establishes
a
fair value hierarchy that distinguishes between (1) market participant
assumptions developed based on market data obtained from sources independent
of
USNG (observable inputs) and (2) USNG’s own assumptions about market participant
assumptions developed based on the best information available under the
circumstances (unobservable inputs). The three levels defined by the FAS 157
hierarchy are as follows:
Level
I –
Quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical
assets
or liabilities that the reporting entity has the ability to access at the
measurement date.
Level
II
– Inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable
for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. Level II assets
include the following: quoted prices for similar
assets
or liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets
or liabilities in markets that are not active, inputs other than quoted prices
that are observable for the asset or liability, and inputs that are derived
principally from or corroborated by observable market data by correlation or
other means (market-corroborated inputs).
12
Level
III
– Unobservable pricing input at the measurement date for the asset or liability.
Unobservable inputs shall be used to measure fair value to the extent that
observable inputs are not available.
In
some
instances, the inputs used to measure fair value might fall in different levels
of the fair value hierarchy. The level in the fair value hierarchy within which
the fair value measurement in its entirety falls shall be determined based
on
the lowest input level that is significant to the fair value measurement in
its
entirety.
The
following table summarizes the valuation of USNG’s securities at September 30,
2008 using the fair value hierarchy:
At September
30, 2008
|
Total
|
|
Level I
|
|
Level II
|
|
Level III
|
||||||
Investments
|
$
|
446,839,247
|
$
|
446,839,247
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
|||||
Derivative
assets
|
(55,301,140)
|
|
(55,301,140)
|
|
-
|
-
|
NOTE 8
– SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
On
September 18, 2008, USNG announced that it would transfer the listing of its
limited partnership units that are listed on the AMEX to the NYSE Arca, Inc.
in
connection with NYSE Euronext’s acquisition of the AMEX. USNG expects that the
listing transfer will occur sometime during the fourth quarter of
2008.
13
Item 2.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations.
The
following discussion should be read in conjunction with the condensed financial
statements and the notes thereto of the United States Natural Gas Fund, LP
(“USNG”) included elsewhere in this quarterly report on Form 10-Q.
Forward-Looking
Information
This
quarterly report on Form 10-Q, including this “Management’s Discussion and
Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” contains
forward-looking statements regarding the plans and objectives of management
for
future operations. This information may involve known and unknown risks,
uncertainties and other factors that may cause USNG’s actual results,
performance or achievements to be materially different from future results,
performance or achievements expressed or implied by any forward-looking
statements. Forward-looking statements, which involve assumptions and describe
USNG’s future plans, strategies and expectations, are generally identifiable by
use of the words “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,”
“believe,” “intend” or “project,” the negative of these words, other
variations on these words or comparable terminology. These forward-looking
statements are based on assumptions that may be incorrect, and USNG cannot
assure investors that the projections included in these forward-looking
statements will come to pass. USNG’s actual results could differ materially from
those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements as a result of
various factors.
USNG
has
based the forward-looking statements included in this quarterly report on Form
10-Q on information available to it on the date of this quarterly report on
Form
10-Q, and USNG assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking
statements. Although USNG undertakes no obligation to revise or update any
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future
events or otherwise, investors are advised to consult any additional disclosures
that USNG may make directly to them or through reports that USNG in the
future files with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”),
including annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and
current reports on Form 8-K.
Introduction
USNG,
a
Delaware limited partnership, is a commodity pool that issues units that may
be
purchased and sold on the American Stock Exchange (the “AMEX”). On
September 18, 2008, USNG announced that it would transfer the listing of its
limited partnership units that are listed on the AMEX to the NYSE Arca, Inc.
in
connection with NYSE Euronext’s acquisition of the AMEX. USNG expects that the
listing transfer will occur sometime during the fourth quarter of 2008. The
investment objective of USNG is for changes in percentage terms of its
units’ net asset value (“NAV”) on a daily basis to reflect the changes in
percentage terms in the spot price of natural gas delivered at the Henry Hub,
Louisiana, also on a daily basis, as measured by the changes in the price of
the
futures contract on natural gas as traded on the New York Mercantile Exchange
(the “NYMEX”) that is the near month contract to expire, except when the near
month contract is within two weeks of expiration, in which case the futures
contract will be the next month contract to expire, less USNG’s
expenses.
USNG
seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing in a combination of
natural gas futures contracts and other natural gas-related investments such
that changes in its NAV, measured in percentage terms, will closely track
the changes in the price of a specified natural gas futures contract (the
“Benchmark Futures Contract”), also measured in percentage terms. USNG’s
general partner believes the Benchmark Futures Contract historically has
exhibited a close correlation with the spot price of natural gas. It is not
the
intent of USNG to be operated in a fashion such that the NAV will equal, in
dollar terms, the spot price of natural gas or any particular futures contract
based on natural gas. Management believes that it is not practical to manage
the
portfolio to achieve such an investment goal when investing in listed natural
gas futures contracts.
On
any
valuation day, the Benchmark Futures Contract is the near
month futures contract for natural gas traded on the NYMEX unless the
near month contract will expire within two weeks of the valuation day, in which
case the Benchmark Futures Contract is the next month contract for
natural gas traded on the NYMEX. “Near month contract” means the next contract
traded on the NYMEX due to expire. “Next month contract” means the first
contract traded on the NYMEX due to expire after the near month
contract.
14
USNG
may
also invest in futures contracts for crude oil, heating oil, gasoline and other
petroleum-based fuels that are traded on the NYMEX, ICE Futures or other U.S.
and foreign exchanges (collectively, “Futures Contracts”) and other natural
gas-related investments such as cash-settled options on Futures Contracts,
forward contracts for natural gas and over-the-counter transactions that are
based on the price of natural gas, crude oil and other petroleum-based fuels,
Futures Contracts and indices based on the foregoing (collectively, “Other
Natural Gas-Related Investments”). For convenience and unless otherwise
specified, Futures Contracts and Other Natural Gas-Related Investments
collectively are referred to as “Natural Gas Interests” in this quarterly report
on Form 10-Q.
The general
partner of USNG, United States Commodity Funds LLC (formerly, Victoria Bay
Asset
Management, LLC) (the “General Partner”), which is registered as a commodity
pool operator (“CPO”) with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the
“CFTC”), is authorized by the Second Amended and Restated Agreement of
Limited Partnership of USNG (the “LP Agreement”) to manage USNG. The
General Partner is authorized by USNG in its sole judgment to employ and
establish the terms of employment for, and termination of, commodity trading
advisors or futures commission merchants.
Valuation
of Futures Contracts and the Computation of the NAV
The
NAV
of USNG units is calculated once each trading day as of the earlier of the
close
of the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) or 4:00 p.m. New York time. The
NAV for a particular trading day is released after 4:15 p.m. New York time.
Trading on the NYSE typically closes at 4:00 p.m. New York time. USNG uses
the NYMEX closing price (determined at the earlier of the close of the NYMEX
or
2:30 p.m. New York time) for the contracts held on the NYMEX, but
calculates or determines the value of all other USNG investments, including
ICE
Futures contracts or other futures contracts, as of the earlier of the close
of
the NYSE or 4:00 p.m. New York time.
Management’s
Discussion of Results of Operations and the Natural Gas
Market
Results
of Operations. On
April 18, 2007, USNG listed its units on the AMEX under the ticker symbol “UNG.”
On that day, USNG established its initial offering price at $50.00 per unit
and
issued 200,000 units to the initial authorized purchaser, Merrill Lynch
Professional Clearing Corp., in exchange for $10,001,000 in cash.
Since
its
initial offering of 30,000,000 units, USNG has made two subsequent
offerings of its units: 50,000,000 units that were registered with the SEC
on November 21, 2007 and an additional 100,000,000 units that were registered
with the SEC on August 28, 2008. Units offered by USNG in the subsequent
offerings were sold by it for cash at the units’ NAV as described in the
applicable prospectus. As of September 30, 2008, USNG had issued 97,600,000
units, 33,700,000 of which were outstanding. As of September 30, 2008, there
were 82,400,000 units registered but not yet issued.
More
units may have been issued by USNG than are outstanding due to the redemption
of
units. Unlike funds that are registered under the Investment Company Act of
1940, as amended, units that have been redeemed by USNG cannot be resold by
USNG. As a result, USNG contemplates that additional offerings of its units
will
be registered with the SEC in the future in anticipation of additional
issuances and redemptions.
As
of
September 30, 2008, the total unrealized loss on natural gas Futures Contracts
owned or held on that day was $(55,301,140) and USNG established cash deposits,
including cash investments in money market funds, that
were
equal to $1,147,517,640. The majority of cash assets were held in overnight
deposits at USNG’s custodian bank, while 34.96% of the cash balance was held
with the futures commission merchant as margin deposits for the Futures
Contracts purchased. The ending per unit NAV on September 30, 2008 was
$33.07.
Portfolio
Expenses.
USNG’s
expenses consist of investment management fees, brokerage
fees and commissions, certain offering costs, licensing fees and the fees
and expenses of the independent directors of the General Partner. The management
fee that USNG pays to the General Partner is calculated as a
percentage of the total net assets of USNG. For total net assets of up to $1
billion, the management fee is 0.60%. For total net assets over $1 billion,
the
management fee is 0.50% on the incremental amount of assets. The fee is accrued
daily.
During
the nine month period ended September 30, 2008, the daily average total net
assets of USNG were $711,569,945. During the nine month period ended
September 30, 2008, the total net assets of USNG did exceed $1 billion on a
number of days. The management fee paid by USNG during the period amounted
to
$3,177,614 which was calculated at the 0.60% rate for total net assets up to
and
including $1 billion and at the rate of 0.50% on total net assets over $1
billion, and accrued daily. Management fees as a percentage of average net
assets averaged 0.60% over the course of this nine month period. By comparison,
during the period from April 18, 2007 (commencement of operations) to September
30, 2007, the average daily total net assets of USNG were $163,215,433. During
the period from April 18, 2007 (commencement of operations) to September 30,
2007, the total net assets of USNG did not exceed $1 billion on any day. The
management fee paid by USNG for the period from April 18, 2007 (commencement
of
operations) to September 30, 2007 amounted to $445,377, which was calculated
at
the 0.60% rate and accrued daily.
15
USNG pays
for all brokerage fees, taxes and other expenses, including certain tax
reporting costs, licensing fees for the use of intellectual property, ongoing
registration or other fees paid to the SEC, the Financial Industry Regulatory
Authority (“FINRA”) and any other regulatory agency in connection with offers
and sales of its units subsequent to the initial offering and all legal,
accounting, printing and other expenses associated therewith. For the nine
month
period ended September 30, 2008, USNG incurred $216,699 in ongoing registration
fees and other offering expenses. USNG is responsible for paying the fees and
expenses, including directors’ and officers’ liability insurance, of the
independent directors of the General Partner who are also audit committee
members. USNG shares these fees with USOF, US12OF, USG and USHO based on the
relative assets of each fund computed on a daily basis. These fees for calendar
year 2008 are estimated to be a total of $286,000 for all five funds. By
comparison, for the period from April 18, 2007 (commencement of operations)
to
September 30, 2007, USNG did not incur any ongoing registration fees and
other offering expenses. In addition, USNG agreed to pay the independent
directors $286,000 to cover their expenses and pay for their services for
2007.
USNG also
incurs commissions to brokers for the purchase and sale of Futures Contracts,
Other Natural Gas-Related Investments or short-term obligations of the
United States of two years or less (“Treasuries”). During the nine month period
ended September 30, 2008, total commissions paid to brokers amounted to
$604,734. Prior to the initial offering of its units, USNG had estimated that
its annual level of such commissions was expected to be 0.13% of total net
assets. As an annualized percentage of average net assets, the figure for the
nine month period ended September 30, 2008 represented approximately 0.11%
of
average net assets. By comparison, for the period from April 18, 2007
(commencement of operations) to September 30, 2007, total commissions paid
amounted to $158,534. As an annualized percentage of average net assets, the
figure for the period from April 18, 2007 (commencement of operations) to
September 30, 2007 represented approximately 0.21% of average net assets.
However, there can be no assurance that commission costs and portfolio turnover
will not cause commission expenses to rise in future quarters.
Interest
Income.
USNG
seeks to invest its assets such that it holds Futures Contracts and Other
Natural Gas-Related Investments in an amount equal to the total net assets
of
the portfolio. Typically, such investments do not require USNG to pay the full
amount of the contract value at the time of purchase, but rather require USNG
to
post an amount as a margin deposit against the eventual settlement of the
contract. As a result, USNG retains an amount that is approximately equal
to its total net assets, which USNG invests in Treasuries, cash and/or cash
equivalents. This includes both the amount on deposit with the futures
commission merchant as margin, as well as unrestricted cash held with USNG’s
custodian bank. The Treasuries, cash and/or cash equivalents earn interest
that accrues on a daily basis. For the nine month period ended September 30,
2008, USNG earned $10,380,019 in interest income on such cash holdings. Based
on
USNG’s average daily total net assets during this time period, this is
equivalent to an annualized yield of 1.95%. USNG did not
purchase Treasuries during the nine month period ended September 30, 2008
and held all of its funds in cash and/or cash equivalents during this time
period. By comparison, for the period from April 18, 2007 (commencement of
operations) to September 30, 2007, USNG earned $3,287,018 in interest income
on
cash holdings. Based on USNG’s average daily total net assets during this time
period this is equivalent to an annualized yield of 4.43%.
Tracking
USNG’s Benchmark.
USNG
seeks to manage its portfolio such that changes in its average daily NAV, on
a
percentage basis, closely track changes in the average of the daily price of
the
Benchmark Futures Contract, also on a percentage basis. Specifically, USNG
seeks to manage the portfolio such that over any rolling period of 30
valuation days, the average daily change in the NAV is within a range of 90%
to
110% (0.9 to 1.1) of the average daily change of the Benchmark Futures
Contract. As an example, if the average daily movement of the
Benchmark Futures Contract for a particular 30-day time period was 0.5% per
day, USNG’s management would attempt to manage the portfolio such that the
average daily movement of the NAV during that same time period fell between
0.45% and 0.55% (i.e.,
between 0.9 and 1.1 of the benchmark’s results). USNG’s portfolio management
goals do not include trying to make the nominal price of USNG’s NAV equal to the
nominal price of the current Benchmark Futures Contract or the spot price
for natural gas. Management believes that it is not practical to manage the
portfolio to achieve such an investment goal when investing in listed natural
gas Futures Contracts.
16
For
the
30 valuation days ended September 30, 2008, the simple average daily change
in
the Benchmark Futures Contract was (0.304)%, while the simple average daily
change in the NAV of USNG over the same time period was (0.301)%. The average
daily difference was 0.013% (or 1.3 basis points, where 1 basis point equals
1/100 of 1%). As a percentage of the daily movement of the
Benchmark Futures Contract, the average error in daily tracking by the NAV
was 1.743%, meaning that over this time period USNG’s tracking error was within
the plus or minus 10% range established as its benchmark tracking
goal.
*PAST
PERFORMANCE IS NOT NECESSARILY INDICATIVE OF FUTURE
RESULTS
17
*PAST
PERFORMANCE IS NOT NECESSARILY INDICATIVE OF FUTURE
RESULTS
Since
the
offering of USNG units to the public on April 18, 2007 to September 30,
2008, the simple average daily change in the Benchmark Futures Contract was
(0.084)%, while the simple average daily change in the NAV of USNG over the
same
time period was (0.076)%. The average daily difference was 0.011% (or 1.1 basis
points, where 1 basis point equals 1/100 of 1%). As a percentage of the daily
movement of the Benchmark Futures Contract, the average error in daily
tracking by the NAV was 1.101%, meaning that over this time period USNG’s
tracking error was within the plus or minus 10% range established as its
benchmark tracking goal.
An
alternative tracking measurement of the return performance of USNG versus the
return of its Benchmark Futures Contract can be calculated by comparing the
actual return of USNG, measured by changes in its NAV, versus the
expected
changes
in its NAV under the assumption that USNG’s returns had been exactly the same as
the daily changes in its Benchmark Futures Contract.
For
the
nine month period ended September 30, 2008, the actual total return of USNG
as
measured by changes in its NAV was (8.60)%. This is based on an initial
NAV of $36.18 on December 31, 2007 and an ending NAV as of September 30,
2008 of $33.07. During this time period, USNG made no distributions to its
unitholders. However, if USNG’s daily changes in its NAV had instead exactly
tracked the changes in the daily return of the Benchmark Futures Contract,
USNG would have ended the third quarter of 2008 with an estimated NAV of $32.85,
for a total return over the relevant time period of (9.20)%. The difference
between the actual NAV total return of USNG of (8.60)% and the expected total
return based on the Benchmark Futures Contract of (9.20)% was an error over
the time period of 0.60%, which is to say that USNG’s actual total return
exceeded the benchmark result by that percentage. Management believes that
a
portion of the difference between the actual return and the expected benchmark
return can be attributed to the impact of the interest that USNG collects on
its
cash and cash equivalent holdings. In addition, during the nine month period
ended September 30, 2008, USNG also collected fees from brokerage firms creating
or redeeming baskets of units. This income also contributed to USNG’s actual
return exceeding the benchmark results. However, if the total assets of USNG
continue to increase, management believes that the impact on total returns
of
these fees from creations and redemptions will diminish as a percentage of
the
total return.
18
By
comparison, for the period from April 18, 2007 (commencement of operations)
to
September 30, 2007, a period of approximately five months, the actual total
return of USNG as measured by changes in its NAV was (23.58)%. This was based
on
an initial NAV of $50.00 on April 18, 2007 and an ending NAV as of
September 30, 2007 of $38.21. During this time period, USNG made no
distributions to its unitholders. However, if USNG’s daily changes in its NAV
had instead exactly tracked the changes in the daily return of the
Benchmark Futures Contract, USNG would have ended the third quarter of 2007
with an estimated NAV of $37.63, for a total return over the relevant time
period of (24.73)%. The difference between the actual NAV total return of USNG
of (23.58)% and the expected total return based on the Benchmark Futures
Contracts of (24.73)% was an error over the time period of 1.15%, which is
to
say that USNG’s actual total return exceeded the benchmark result by that
percentage. Management believes that a portion of the difference between the
actual return and the expected benchmark return can be attributed to the impact
of the interest that USNG collects on its cash and cash equivalent holdings.
In
addition, during the period, USNG also collected fees from brokerage firms
creating or redeeming baskets of units. This income also contributed to USNG’s
actual return exceeding the benchmark results.
There
are
currently three factors that have impacted, during the latest period, or are
most likely to impact, USNG’s ability to accurately track its Benchmark Futures
Contract.
First,
USNG may buy or sell its holdings in the then current Benchmark Futures
Contract at a price other than the closing settlement price of that contract
on
the day in which USNG executes the trade. In that case, USNG may get a price
that is higher, or lower, than that of the Benchmark Futures Contract,
which could cause the changes in the daily NAV of USNG to either be too
high or too low relative to the changes in the daily benchmark. During the
nine
month period ended September 30, 2008, management attempted to minimize the
effect of these transactions by seeking to execute its purchases or sales of
the
Benchmark Futures Contracts at, or as close as possible to, the end of the
day settlement price. However, it may not always be possible for USNG to obtain
the closing settlement price and there is no assurance that failure to obtain
the closing settlement price in the future will not adversely impact USNG’s
attempt to track its benchmark over time.
Second,
USNG earns interest on its cash, cash equivalents and Treasury
holdings. USNG is not required to distribute any portion of its income to its
unitholders and did not make any distributions to unitholders during the nine
month period ended September 30, 2008. Interest payments, and any other income,
were retained within the portfolio and added to USNG’s NAV. When this income
exceeds the level of USNG’s expenses for its management fee, brokerage
commissions and other expenses (including ongoing registration
fees, licensing fees and the fees and expenses of the independent directors
of the General Partner), USNG will realize a net yield that will tend to cause
daily changes in the NAV of USNG to track slightly higher than daily changes
in
the Benchmark Futures Contract. During the nine month period ended
September 30, 2008, USNG earned, on an annualized basis, approximately 1.95%
on
its cash holdings. It also incurred cash expenses on an annualized basis of
0.60% for management fees and approximately 0.11% in brokerage commission costs
related to the purchase and sale of futures contracts, and 0.22% for other
expenses. The foregoing fees and expenses resulted in a net yield on an
annualized basis of approximately 1.02% and affected USNG’s ability to track its
benchmark. If short-term interest rates rise above the current levels, the
level
of deviation created by the yield would increase. Conversely, if short-term
interest rates were to decline, the amount of error created by the yield would
decrease. If short-term yields drop to a level lower than the combined expenses
of the management fee and the brokerage commissions, then the tracking error
would become a negative number and would tend to cause the daily returns of
the
NAV to underperform the daily returns of the Benchmark Futures
Contract.
Third,
USNG may hold Other Natural Gas-Related Investments in its portfolio that
may fail to closely track the Benchmark Futures Contract’s total return
movements. In that case, the error in tracking the benchmark could result in
daily changes in the NAV of USNG that are either too high, or too low, relative
to the daily changes in the benchmark. During the nine month period ended
September 30, 2008, USNG did not hold any Other Natural Gas-Related Investments.
However, there can be no assurance that in future quarters USNG will not make
use of such Other Natural Gas-Related Investments.
19
During
the nine month period ended September 30, 2008, the prices of front month
Benchmark Futures Contracts fell slightly from $7.483 to $7.438. Except for
the
start of the nine month period when the price of the front month contract was
higher than the price of the second month contract, a condition in the futures
markets referred to as “backwardation”, the prices of front month contracts were
also lower than the prices of second month contracts during the balance of
this
time period, a condition in the futures markets referred to as “contango”. The
relationship between the prices of different months of the same futures
contracts, the “term structure of futures prices”, can have a major impact on
the total return of owning such futures contracts over time.
Term
Structure of Natural Gas Futures Prices and the Impact on Total Returns.
Several
factors determine the total return from investing in a futures contract
position. One factor that impacts the total return that will result from
investing in near month natural gas futures contracts and “rolling” those
contracts forward each month is the price relationship between the current
near
month contract and the later month contracts. For example, if the price of
the
near month contract is higher than the next month contract (a situation referred
to as “backwardation” in the futures market), then absent any other change there
is a tendency for the price of a next month contract to rise in value as it
becomes the near month contract and approaches expiration. Conversely, if the
price of a near month contract is lower than the next month contract (a
situation referred to as “contango” in the futures market), then absent any
other change there is a tendency for the price of a next month contract to
decline in value as it becomes the near month contract and approaches
expiration.
As
an
example, assume that the price of natural gas for immediate delivery (the “spot”
price), was $7 per 10,000 million British thermal units (“MMBtu”), and the value
of a position in the near month futures contract was also $7. Over time, the
price of 10,000 MMBtu of natural gas will fluctuate based on a number of
market factors, including demand for natural gas relative to its supply. The
value of the near month contract will likewise fluctuate in reaction to a
number of market factors. If investors seek to maintain their position in a
near
month contract and not take delivery of the natural gas, every month they must
sell their current near month contract as it approaches expiration and invest
in
the next month contract.
If
the
futures market is in backwardation,
e.g.,
when
the expected price of natural gas in the future would be less, the investor
would be buying a next month contract for a lower price than the current near
month contract. Hypothetically, and assuming no other changes to either
prevailing natural gas prices or the price relationship between the spot price,
the near month contract and the next month contract (and ignoring the impact
of
commission costs and the interest earned on Treasuries, cash and/or cash
equivalents), the value of the next month contract would rise as it approaches
expiration and becomes the new near month contract. In this example, the value
of the $7 investment would tend to rise faster than the spot price of natural
gas, or fall slower. As a result, it would be possible in this hypothetical
example for the price of spot natural gas to have risen to $9 after some period
of time, while the value of the investment in the futures contract would have
risen to $10, assuming backwardation is large enough or enough time has elapsed.
Similarly, the spot price of natural gas could have fallen to $5 while the
value
of an investment in the futures contract could have fallen to only $6. Over
time, if backwardation remained constant, the difference would continue to
increase.
If
the
futures market is in contango, the investor would be buying a next month
contract for a higher price than the current near month contract.
Hypothetically, and assuming no other changes to either prevailing natural
gas
prices or the price relationship between the spot price, the near month contract
and the next month contract (and ignoring the impact of commission costs and
the
interest earned on cash), the value of the next month contract would fall as
it
approaches expiration and becomes the new near month contract. In this example,
it would mean that the value of the $7 investment would tend to rise slower
than
the spot price of natural gas, or fall faster. As a result, it would be possible
in this hypothetical example for the spot price of natural gas to have
risen to $9 after some period of time, while the value of the investment in
the
futures contract will have risen to only $8, assuming contango is large enough
or enough time has elapsed. Similarly, the spot price of natural gas could
have
fallen to $6 while the value of an investment in the futures contract could
have
fallen to $7. Over time, if contango remained constant, the difference would
continue to increase.
20
Historically,
the natural gas futures markets have experienced periods of contango
and backwardation. Because natural gas demand is seasonal, it is possible for
the price of Futures Contracts for delivery within one or two months to
rapidly move from backwardation into contango and back again within a relatively
short period of time of less than one year. While the investment objective
of
USNG is not to have the market price of its units match, dollar for dollar,
changes in the spot price of natural gas, contango has impacted the total return
on an investment in USNG units during the past quarter relative to a
hypothetical direct investment in natural gas. For example, an investment made
in USNG units made on June 30, 2007 and held to September 30, 2007 decreased,
based upon the changes in the closing market prices for USNG units on those
days, by 12.14%, while the spot price of natural gas for immediate delivery
during the same period increased by 1.4% (note: this comparison ignores the
potential costs associated with physically owning and storing natural gas,
which
could be substantial). This period of contango did not meaningfully impact
USNG’s investment objective of having percentage changes in its per unit NAV
track percentage changes in the price of the Benchmark Futures Contract
since the impact of backwardation and contango tended to equally impact the
percentage changes in price of both USNG’s units and the Benchmark Futures
Contract. It is impossible to predict with any degree of certainty whether
backwardation or contango will occur in the future. It is likely that both
conditions will occur during different periods and, because of the seasonal
nature of natural gas demand, both may occur within a single year’s time.
Natural
Gas Market.
During
the nine month period ended September 30, 2008, natural gas prices in the United
States were impacted by several factors and demonstrated a great deal of price
volatility. At the beginning of the first quarter of 2008, the amount of natural
gas in storage was at higher than average levels versus the previous five years.
The winter weather in the United States was moderate through much of the first
quarter of 2008. A major use of natural gas in winter months is the generation
of heat for residential and commercial buildings. A major variable in the use
of
natural gas is weather, and the amount of natural gas burned for heating
purposes. The mild weather had the effect of reducing the rate at which the
storage levels of natural gas fell. During the entire first quarter of 2008,
the
seasonally adjusted inventory levels of stored natural gas remained above
five-year averages.
However,
natural gas usage increased in the second quarter of 2008 and storage levels
trended downwards. As a result of all the factors mentioned above, the natural
gas market in the United States started the year reasonably well supplied but
grew tighter towards the middle of the second quarter of 2008. In addition,
the
price of natural gas was also strongly influenced by the rise in the price
of
crude oil, which rose sharply during the second quarter and early third quarter
of 2008. Finally, demand for natural gas outside of the United States also
influenced prices upward. The price of natural gas rose sharply at the end
of the second quarter and the start of the third quarter of 2008. Natural gas
reached a peak price during the nine month period for the front month contract
of $13.57 in early July 2008. However, a combination of slowing U.S. economic
growth, increased natural gas production, as well as the sharp drop-off in
crude
oil prices starting in July 2008, all contributed to a very significant decline
in natural gas prices during the third quarter of 2008, with prices reaching
a
low of $7.22 near the end of the quarter before finally ending the quarter
with
a price of $7.43.
Natural
Gas Price Movements in Comparison to other Energy Commodities and Investment
Categories.
The
General Partner believes that investors frequently measure the degree to
which
prices or total returns of one investment or asset class move up or down
in
value in concert with another investment or asset class. Statistically, such
a
measure is usually done by measuring the correlation of the price movements
of
the two different investments or asset classes over some period of time.
The
correlation is scaled between 1 and -1, where 1 indicates that the two
investment options move up or down in price or value together, known as
“positive correlation,” and -1 indicating that they move in completely opposite
directions, known as “negative correlation.” A correlation of 0 would mean that
the movements of the two are neither positively or negatively correlated,
known
as “non-correlation.” That is, the investment options sometimes move up and down
together and other times move in opposite directions.
For
the
ten year time period between 1997 and 2007, the chart below compares the
monthly
movements of natural gas versus the monthly movements of several other energy
commodities, crude oil, heating oil, and unleaded gasoline, as well as several
major non-commodity investment asset classes such as large cap U.S. equities,
U.S. government bonds and global equities. It can be seen that over this
particular time period, the movement of natural gas on a monthly basis was
NOT
strongly correlated, positively or negatively, with the movements of large
cap
U.S. equities, U.S. government bonds or global equities. However, movements
in
natural gas had a positive correlation to movements in heating oil. Finally,
natural gas had a positive, but very weak, correlation with crude oil and
unleaded gasoline.
10
Year Correlation Matrix 1997-2007
|
Large
Cap U.S. Equities (S&P 500)
|
U.S.
Govt. Bonds (EFFAS U.S. Government Bond Index)
|
Global
Equities (FTSE World Index)
|
Unleaded
Gasoline
|
Crude
Oil
|
Heating
Oil
|
Natural
Gas
|
|||||||||||||||
Large
Cap U.S. Equities (S&P 500)
|
1
|
-0.237
|
0.949
|
-0.087
|
-0.037
|
-0.065
|
-0.008
|
|||||||||||||||
US
Govt. Bonds (EFFAS U.S. Government Bond Index)
|
1
|
-0.259
|
-0.175
|
0.033
|
0.065
|
0.197
|
||||||||||||||||
Global
Equities (FTSE World Index)
|
1
|
0.124
|
0.040
|
-0.003
|
0.029
|
|||||||||||||||||
Unleaded
Gasoline
|
1
|
0.634
|
0.663
|
0.267
|
||||||||||||||||||
Crude
Oil
|
1
|
0.802
|
0.344
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Heating
Oil
|
1
|
0.480
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Natural
Gas
|
1
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
source:
Bloomberg, NYMEX
|
PAST
PERFORMANCE IS NOT NECESSARILY INDICATIVE OF FUTURE
RESULTS
Investors
are cautioned that the historical price relationships between natural gas
and
various other energy commodities, as well as other investment asset classes,
as
measured by correlation may not be reliable predictors of future price movements
and correlation results. The results pictured above would have been different
if
a different range of dates had been selected. The General Partner believes
that
natural gas has historically not demonstrated a strong correlation with equities
or bonds over long periods of time. However, the General Partner also believes
that in the future it is possible that natural gas could have long term
correlation results that indicate prices of natural gas more closely track
the
movements of equities or bonds. In addition, the General Partner believes
that,
when measured over time periods shorter than ten years, there will always
be
some periods where the correlation of natural gas to equities and bonds will
be
either more strongly positively correlated or more strongly negatively
correlated than the long term historical results suggest.
21
The
chart
below covers a more recent, but much shorter, range of dates than the above
chart. Over the nine months ended September 30, 2008, natural gas had a stronger
positive correlation with crude oil, heating oil and unleaded gasoline than
it
had displayed over the prior ten year period. The correlation between natural
gas and large cap U.S. equities, U.S. government bonds and global equities,
which had been essentially non-correlated over the prior ten years, appeared
to
remain non-correlated over this shorter time period.
Correlation
Matrix 2008 YTD (9 months)
|
Large
Cap U.S. Equities (S&P 500)
|
U.S.
Govt. Bonds (EFFAS U.S. Government Bond Index)
|
Global
Equities (FTSE World Index)
|
Unleaded
Gasoline
|
Crude
Oil
|
Heating
Oil
|
Natural
Gas
|
|||||||||||||||
Large
Cap U.S. Equities (S&P 500)
|
1
|
-0.641
|
0.920
|
0.565
|
0.289
|
0.214
|
-0.152
|
|||||||||||||||
US
Govt. Bonds (EFFAS U.S. Government Bond Index)
|
|
1
|
-0.682
|
-0.581
|
-0.507
|
-0.414
|
-0.045
|
|||||||||||||||
Global
Equities (FTSE World Index)
|
|
1
|
0.760
|
0.575
|
0.496
|
0.108
|
||||||||||||||||
Unleaded
Gasoline
|
|
1
|
0.923
|
0.900
|
0.650
|
|||||||||||||||||
Crude
Oil
|
|
1
|
0.914
|
0.771
|
||||||||||||||||||
Heating
Oil
|
|
1
|
0.805
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Natural
Gas
|
|
1
|
||||||||||||||||||||
source:
Bloomberg, NYMEX
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
PAST
PERFORMANCE IS NOT NECESSARILY INDICATIVE OF FUTURE
RESULTS
Critical
Accounting Policies
Preparation
of the condensed financial statements and related disclosures in compliance
with
accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America
requires the application of appropriate accounting rules and guidance, as well
as the use of estimates. USNG’s application of these policies involves judgments
and actual results may differ from the estimates used.
The
General Partner has evaluated the nature and types of estimates that
it makes in preparing USNG’s condensed financial statements and related
disclosures and has determined that the valuation of its investments which
are not traded on a United States or internationally recognized futures exchange
(such as forward contracts and over-the-counter contracts) involves a critical
accounting policy. The values which are used by USNG for its forward
contracts are provided by its commodity broker who uses market prices when
available, while over-the-counter contracts are valued based on the
present value of estimated future cash flows that would be received from or
paid
to a third party in settlement of these derivative contracts prior to their
delivery date and valued on a daily basis. In addition, USNG estimates
interest income on a daily basis using prevailing interest rates earned on
its
cash and cash equivalents. These estimates are adjusted to the actual amount
received on a monthly basis and the difference, if any, is not considered
material.
22
Liquidity
and Capital Resources
USNG
has
not made, and does not anticipate making, use of borrowings or other lines
of
credit to meet its obligations. USNG has met, and it is anticipated
that USNG will continue to meet, its liquidity needs in the normal
course of business from the proceeds of the sale of its investments, or from
the
Treasuries, cash and/or cash equivalents that it intends to hold at all times.
USNG’s liquidity needs include: redeeming units, providing margin deposits for
its existing Futures Contracts or the purchase of additional Futures Contracts
and posting collateral for its over-the-counter contracts and payment of its
expenses, summarized below under “Contractual Obligations.”
USNG
currently generates cash primarily from (i) the sale of Creation Baskets and
(ii) interest earned on Treasuries, cash and/or cash equivalents. USNG has
allocated substantially all of its net assets to trading in Natural
Gas Interests. USNG invests in Natural Gas Interests to the fullest extent
possible without being leveraged or unable to satisfy its current or potential
margin or collateral obligations with respect to its investments in Futures
Contracts and Other Natural Gas-Related Investments. A significant portion
of
the NAV is held in cash and cash equivalents that are used as margin and as
collateral for USNG’s trading in Natural Gas Interests. The percentage that
Treasuries will bear to the total net assets will vary from period to period
as
the market values of the Natural Gas Interests change. The balance of the net
assets is held in USNG’s Futures Contracts and Other Natural Gas-Related
Investments trading account. Interest earned on USNG’s interest-bearing funds is
paid to USNG.
USNG’s
investment in Natural Gas Interests may be subject to periods of illiquidity
because of market conditions, regulatory considerations and other reasons.
For
example, most commodity exchanges limit the fluctuations in Futures
Contracts prices during a single day by regulations referred to as “daily
limits.” During a single day, no trades may be executed at prices beyond the
daily limit. Once the price of a Futures Contract has increased or decreased
by
an amount equal to the daily limit, positions in the contracts can neither
be
taken nor liquidated unless the traders are willing to effect trades at or
within the specified daily limit. Such market conditions could prevent USNG
from promptly liquidating its positions in Futures Contracts. During the
nine month period ended September 30, 2008, USNG was not forced to purchase
or
liquidate any of its positions while daily limits were in effect; however,
USNG cannot predict whether such an event may occur in the future.
Prior
to
the
initial offering of USNG (and
including expenses incurred in connection with the initial offering), all
payments with respect to USNG’s and the General Partner’s expenses were
paid by their affiliates. Neither USNG nor the General Partner has any
obligation or intention to refund such payments by their affiliates. These
affiliates are under no obligation to pay USNG’s or the General Partner’s
current or future expenses. If the General Partner and USNG are
unsuccessful in raising sufficient funds to cover USNG’s expenses or in locating
any other source of funding, USNG will terminate and investors may lose all
or
part of their investment.
Market
Risk
Trading
in Futures Contracts and Other Natural Gas-Related Investments, such as
forwards, involves USNG entering into contractual commitments to purchase
or sell natural gas at a specified date in the future. The gross or face amount
of the contracts will significantly exceed USNG’s future cash requirements since
USNG intends to close out its open positions prior to settlement. As a result,
USNG is generally only subject to the risk of loss arising from the change
in value of the contracts. USNG considers the “fair value” of its derivative
instruments to be the unrealized gain or loss on the contracts. The market
risk
associated with USNG’s commitments to purchase natural gas is limited to the
gross face amount of the contracts held. However, should USNG enter into a
contractual commitment to sell natural gas, it would be required to make
delivery of the natural gas at the contract price, repurchase the contract
at
prevailing prices or settle in cash. Since there are no limits on the future
price of natural gas, the market risk to USNG could be unlimited.
USNG’s
exposure to market risk depends on a number of factors, including the
markets for natural gas, the volatility of interest rates and foreign exchange
rates, the liquidity of the Futures Contracts and Other Natural Gas-Related
Investments markets and the relationships among the contracts held by USNG.
The
limited experience that USNG has had in utilizing its model to trade in Natural
Gas Interests in a manner intended to track the changes in the spot price of
natural gas, as well as drastic market occurrences, could ultimately lead to
the
loss of all or substantially all of an investor’s capital.
23
Credit
Risk
When
USNG
enters into Futures Contracts and Other Natural Gas-Related Investments, it
is exposed to the credit risk that the counterparty will not be able to meet
its
obligations. The counterparty for the Futures Contracts traded on the NYMEX
and on most other foreign futures exchanges is the clearinghouse associated
with
the particular exchange. In general, clearinghouses are backed by their members
who may be required to share in the financial burden resulting from the
nonperformance of one of their members and, therefore, this additional member
support should significantly reduce credit risk. Some foreign exchanges are
not
backed by their clearinghouse members but may be backed by a consortium of
banks
or other financial institutions. There can be no assurance that any
counterparty, clearinghouse, or their members or their financial backers will
satisfy their obligations to USNG in such circumstances.
The
General Partner attempts to manage the credit risk of USNG by following
various trading limitations and policies. In particular, USNG generally posts
margin and/or holds liquid assets that are approximately equal to the face
amount of its obligations to counterparties under the Futures Contracts and
Other Natural Gas-Related Investments it holds. The General Partner has
implemented procedures that include, but are not limited to, executing
and clearing trades only with creditworthy parties and/or requiring the posting
of collateral or margin by such parties for the benefit of USNG to limit its
credit exposure. UBS Securities LLC, USNG’s commodity broker, or any other
broker that may be retained by USNG in the future, when acting as USNG’s futures
commission merchant in accepting orders to purchase or sell Futures
Contracts on United States exchanges, is required by CFTC regulations
to separately account for and segregate as belonging to USNG, all assets of
USNG
relating to domestic Futures Contracts trading. These futures
commission merchants are not allowed to commingle USNG’s assets with its other
assets. In addition, the CFTC requires commodity brokers to hold in a secure
account the USNG assets related to foreign Futures Contracts trading.
As
of
September 30, 2008, USNG had deposits in domestic and foreign financial
institutions, including cash investments in money market funds, in the amount
of
$1,147,517,640. This amount is subject to loss should these institutions cease
operations.
Off
Balance Sheet Financing
As
of
September 30, 2008, USNG has no loan guarantee, credit support or other
off-balance sheet arrangements of any kind other than agreements entered into
in
the normal course of business, which may include indemnification provisions
relating to certain risks that service providers undertake in performing
services which are in the best interests of USNG. While USNG’s exposure under
these indemnification provisions cannot be estimated, they are not expected
to
have a material impact on USNG’s financial position.
Redemption
Basket Obligation
In
order
to meet its investment objective and pay its contractual obligations described
below, USNG requires liquidity to redeem units, which redemptions must be
in blocks of 100,000 units called “Redemption Baskets”. USNG has to date
satisfied this obligation by paying from the cash or cash equivalents it holds
or through the sale of its Treasuries in an amount proportionate to the number
of units being redeemed.
Contractual
Obligations
USNG’s
primary contractual obligations are with the General Partner. In return for
its
services, the General Partner is entitled to a management fee calculated as
a
fixed percentage of USNG’s NAV, currently 0.60% for a NAV of $1 billion or less,
and thereafter 0.50% for a NAV above $1 billion.
The
General Partner agreed to pay the start-up costs associated with the formation
of USNG, primarily its legal, accounting and other costs in connection with
the
General Partner’s registration with the CFTC as a CPO and the registration and
listing of USNG and its units with the SEC, FINRA and the AMEX,
respectively. However, offering costs incurred in connection with registering
and listing additional units of USNG are directly borne on an ongoing
basis by USNG, and not by the General Partner.
The
General Partner pays the fees of USNG’s marketing agent, ALPS Distributors,
Inc., and the fees of the custodian and transfer agent, Brown Brothers Harriman
& Co. (“BBH&Co.”), as well as BBH&Co.’s fees for performing
administrative services, including in connection with the preparation of USNG’s
condensed financial statements and its SEC and CFTC reports. The General Partner
and USNG have also entered into a licensing agreement with the NYMEX pursuant
to
which USNG and the affiliated funds managed by the General Partner pay a
licensing fee to the NYMEX. The General Partner also pays any fees for
implementation of services and base service fees charged by the accounting
firm
responsible for preparing USNG’s tax reporting forms; however, USNG pays the
fees and expenses associated with its tax accounting and reporting requirements.
24
In
addition to the General Partner’s management fee, USNG pays its brokerage fees
(including fees to a futures commission merchant), over-the-counter dealer
spreads, any licensing fees for the use of intellectual property, and,
subsequent to the initial offering, registration and other fees paid to the
SEC,
FINRA, or other regulatory agencies in connection with the offer and sale of
units, as well as legal, printing, accounting and other expenses associated
therewith, and extraordinary expenses. The latter are expenses not incurred
in
the ordinary course of USNG’s business, including expenses relating to the
indemnification of any person against liabilities and obligations to the extent
permitted by law and under the LP Agreement, the bringing or defending of
actions in law or in equity or otherwise conducting litigation and incurring
legal expenses and the settlement of claims and litigation. Commission payments
to a futures commission merchant are on a contract-by-contract, or round turn,
basis. USNG also pays a portion of the fees and expenses of the independent
directors of the General Partner. See Note 3 to the Notes to Condensed Financial
Statements (Unaudited).
The
parties cannot anticipate the amount of payments that will be required under
these arrangements for future periods, as USNG’s NAVs and trading levels to meet
its investment objectives will not be known until a future date. These
agreements are effective for a specific term agreed upon by the parties with
an
option to renew, or, in some cases, are in effect for the duration of USNG’s
existence. Either party may terminate these agreements earlier for certain
reasons described in the agreements.
Item 3.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market
Risk.
Over-the-Counter
Derivatives (Including Spreads and Straddles)
In
the
future, USNG may purchase over-the-counter contracts. Unlike most of the
exchange-traded Futures Contracts or exchange-traded options on such futures,
each party to an over-the-counter contract bears the credit risk that the other
party may not be able to perform its obligations under its
contract.
Some
natural gas-based derivatives transactions contain fairly generic terms and
conditions and are available from a wide range of participants. Other natural
gas-based derivatives have highly customized terms and conditions and are not
as
widely available. Many of these over-the-counter contracts are cash-settled
forwards for the future delivery of natural gas- or petroleum-based fuels that
have terms similar to the Futures Contracts. Others take the form of
“swaps” in which the two parties exchange cash flows based on pre-determined
formulas tied to the spot price of natural gas, forward natural gas
prices or natural gas futures prices. For example, USNG may enter into
over-the-counter derivative contracts whose value will be tied to changes in
the
difference between the spot price of natural gas, the price of Futures
Contracts traded on the NYMEX and the prices of other Futures Contracts
that may be invested in by USNG.
To
protect itself from the credit risk that arises in connection with such
contracts, USNG may enter into agreements with each counterparty that provide
for the netting of its overall exposure to such counterparty, such as the
agreements published by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association,
Inc. USNG also may require that the counterparty be highly rated and/or
provide collateral or other credit support to address USNG’s exposure to the
counterparty. In addition, it is also possible for USNG and its counterparty
to
agree to clear their agreement through an established futures clearing house
such as those connected to the NYMEX or the ICE Futures. In that event, USNG
would no longer have credit risk of its original counterparty, as the
clearinghouse would now be USNG’s counterparty. USNG would still retain any
price risk associated with its transaction.
The
creditworthiness of each potential counterparty is assessed by the General
Partner. The General Partner assesses or reviews, as appropriate, the
creditworthiness of each potential or existing counterparty to an
over-the-counter contract pursuant to guidelines approved by the General
Partner’s board of directors. Furthermore, the General Partner on behalf of USNG
only enters into over-the-counter contracts with (a) members of the Federal
Reserve System or foreign banks with branches regulated by the Federal Reserve
Board; (b) primary dealers in U.S. government securities; (c) broker-dealers;
(d) commodity futures merchants; or (e) affiliates of the foregoing. Existing
counterparties are also reviewed periodically by the General Partner.
25
USNG
anticipates that the use of Other Natural Gas-Related Investments together
with
its investments in Futures Contracts will produce price and total return results
that closely track the investment goals of USNG.
USNG
may
employ spreads or straddles in its trading to mitigate the differences in its
investment portfolio and its goal of tracking the price of the
Benchmark Futures Contract. USNG would use a spread when it chooses to take
simultaneous long and short positions in futures written on the same underlying
asset, but with different delivery months. The effect of holding such combined
positions is to adjust the sensitivity of USNG to changes in the price
relationship between futures contracts which will expire sooner and those that
will expire later. USNG would use such a spread if the General Partner felt
that
taking such long and short positions, when combined with the rest of its
holdings, would more closely track the investment goals of USNG, or if the
General Partner felt it would lead to an overall lower cost of trading to
achieve a given level of economic exposure to movements in natural gas prices.
USNG would enter into a straddle when it chooses to take an option position
consisting of a long (or short) position in both a call option and put option.
The economic effect of holding certain combinations of put options and call
options can be very similar to that of owning the underlying futures contracts.
USNG would make use of such a straddle approach if, in the opinion of the
General Partner, the resulting combination would more closely track the
investment goals of USNG or if it would lead to an overall lower cost of trading
to achieve a given level of economic exposure to movements in natural gas
prices.
During
the nine month period ended September 30, 2008, USNG did not employ any hedging
methods such as those identified above since all of its investments were made
over an exchange. Therefore, USNG was not exposed to counterparty
risk.
Item 4.
Controls and Procedures.
Disclosure
Controls and Procedures
USNG
maintains disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that
material information required to be disclosed in USNG’s periodic reports filed
or submitted under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, is recorded,
processed, summarized and reported within the time period specified in the
SEC’s
rules and forms.
The
duly
appointed officers of the General Partner, including its chief executive officer
and chief financial officer, who perform functions equivalent to those
of a principal executive officer and principal financial officer of
USNG if USNG had any officers, have evaluated the effectiveness of USNG’s
disclosure controls and procedures and have concluded that the
disclosure controls and procedures of USNG have been effective as of the end
of
the period covered by this quarterly report.
Change
in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
There
were no changes in USNG’s internal control over financial reporting during
USNG’s last fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably
likely to materially affect, USNG’s internal control over financial
reporting.
26
Part
II.
OTHER INFORMATION
Item
1. Legal Proceedings.
Not
applicable.
Item
1A. Risk Factors.
There
has
not been a material change from the risk factors previously disclosed in USNG's
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31,
2007.
Item
2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of
Proceeds.
Not
applicable.
Item
3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities.
Not
applicable.
Item
4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.
Not
applicable.
Monthly
Account Statements
Pursuant
to the requirement under part 4.22 of the Commodity Exchange Act, each month
USNG publishes an account statement for its unitholders, which includes a
Statement of Income (Loss) and a Statement of Changes in NAV. The account
statement is filed with the SEC on a current report on Form 8-K pursuant to
Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act and posted each month on USNG’s
website at www.unitedstatesnaturalgasfund.com.
Item 6.
Exhibits.
Listed
below are the exhibits which are filed or furnished as part of this quarterly
report on Form 10-Q (according to the number assigned to them in Item 601
of Regulation S-K):
Exhibit
|
||
Number
|
Description
of Document
|
|
31.1*
|
Certification
by Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
|
|
31.2*
|
Certification
by Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
|
|
32.1**
|
Certification
by Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350,
as
Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002.
|
|
32.2**
|
Certification
by Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350,
as
Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002.
|
* |
Filed
herewith
|
** |
Furnished
herewith
|
27
SIGNATURES
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant
has
duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto
duly authorized.
United
States Natural Gas Fund, LP (Registrant)
|
|
By:
|
United States Commodity Funds LLC, its general partner
|
(formerly known as Victoria Bay Asset Management, LLC)
|
|
By:
|
/s/ Nicholas D. Gerber |
Nicholas
D. Gerber
|
|
Chief
Executive Officer
|
|
Date:
November 14, 2008
|
|
By:
|
/s/ Howard Mah |
Howard
Mah
|
|
Chief
Financial Officer
|
|
Date:
November 14, 2008
|
28