Natural Gas open interest

[tradexpo]

The july natural gas contact is expiring tommorrow
Why is the open interest drop from 200,000 contracts drop to 10,000 contracts on expiration date

only 5% of the contracts take delivery and the rest is just speculation

Also, volume has dried up in lot of contracts. some say 95% drop what is the reason for the drop?
and afterhourss and inactive. for the natural gas contracts.

Do the utility use the NG to hedge or take delivery or they trade on another exchange. and the CME is just for speculators for natural gas?

and same with micro, it has 3791 contracts still and expired today. and the guy ddidn't sell those contracts. and don' take delivery

Who owns those micro natural gas contracts? if the QG contacts are never for taking delivery?

Why don't the guys close the QG micro natural gas contracts since it's for trading only and settled by cash?
Does the brokes automatically settle those contracts if trader dosen't sell them

 

[Overnight]

The july natural gas contact is expiring tommorrow
Why is the open interest drop from 200,000 contracts drop to 10,000 contracts on expiration date

only 5% of the contracts take delivery and the rest is just speculation
...

You answered your own question with your question...

"The july natural gas contact is expiring tomorrow..."

 

[Tony Optionaro]

Google: futures roll-over

 

[HobbyTrading]

If you would take IB as example: they close out natural gas contracts 1~2 days before expiry: https://www.interactivebrokers.com/en/index.php?f=deliveryExerciseActions&p=physical

If other brokers, who can't accept physical delivery, do the same or similar, then it is fully understandable that open interest plummets in the last few days before contract expiration.