01:34 PM EDT, 04/22/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Energy stocks were higher Wednesday afternoon, with the NYSE Energy Sector Index rising 0.7% and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) adding 1%.

The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector Index was climbing 1.3%, and the Dow Jones US Utilities Index was up 0.2%.

Crude prices rose Wednesday as Iran said it seized two container ships in the Strait of Hormuz, indicating heightened tensions even as President Donald Trump extended a ceasefire with Tehran. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on Wednesday reportedly announced the seizure of two tankers attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil chokepoint. Trump extended a two-week ceasefire deal with Tehran late Tuesday, though he said the naval blockade of Iranian ports would continue.

Front-month West Texas Intermediate crude oil was rising 3.9% to $93.12 a barrel, and the global benchmark Brent crude contract was advancing 3.5% to $101.88 a barrel. Henry Hub natural gas futures rose 1.1% to $2.73 per 1 million BTU.

In corporate news, the US Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected Enbridge's ( ENB ) motion to move a lawsuit seeking to halt the company's operation of the Line 5 pipeline from Michigan state court to federal court. Enbridge ( ENB ) shares were down 0.2%.