08:26 AM EDT, 04/05/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Energy stocks were rising premarket Friday with the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLE) recently gaining 0.4%.

The United States Oil Fund (USO) was 0.1% lower and the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) retreated 0.3%.

Front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil was down 0.1% at $86.50 per barrel at the New York Mercantile Exchange. Global benchmark North Sea crude oil rose 0.1% to $90.74 per barrel, and natural gas futures were up 0.1% at $1.78 per 1 million British Thermal Units.

Shell (SHEL) said it expects "significantly lower" Q1 results in its liquefied natural gas business compared with its "exceptional" Q4. The company's shares were up 0.4% pre-bell Friday.