SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Natural-gas futures on Thursday turned higher after the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that supplies of natural gas rose 4 billion cubic feet for the week ended April 4. That was smaller than the market expected as analysts surveyed by Platts forecast an increase of between 13 billion cubic feet and 17 billion cubic feet. Total stocks now stand at 826 billion cubic feet, down 849 billion cubic feet from a year ago and 997 billion cubic feet below the five-year average, the government said. May natural gas NGK14 -1.20% was at $4.64 per million British thermal units, up nearly 6 cents, or 1.3%. It was trading at $4.53 before the data.