03:20 PM EDT, 09/05/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Energy stocks declined late Thursday afternoon with the NYSE Energy Sector Index decreasing 0.2% and the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLE) down 0.5%.

The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector index shed 0.5%, and the Dow Jones US Utilities index eased 0.2%.

US crude oil stocks, including those in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, fell by 5.1 million barrels in the week ended Friday following a decrease of 100,000 in the previous week. Excluding inventories in the SPR, commercial crude oil stocks decreased by 6.9 million after a decrease of 800,000 in the previous week, compared with the drop of 300,000 expected in a survey compiled by Bloomberg.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil rose 0.2% to $69.31 a barrel, while global benchmark Brent added 0.2% to $72.84 a barrel.

US natural gas stocks rose by 13 billion cubic feet in the week ended Friday, below the gain of 27 billion expected in a survey compiled by Bloomberg and following an increase of 35 billion in the previous week.

Henry Hub natural gas futures jumped 5.6% to $2.26 per 1 million BTU.

In corporate news, Exxon Mobil ( XOM ) aims to launch its first US Gulf Coast carbon capture project next year, subject to regulatory approval for the injection wells, Dan Ammann, president of Exxon's division for low carbon solutions, said at a conference in New York on Thursday. Exxon shares shed 0.5%.