03:25 PM EDT, 06/18/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Energy stocks rose late Tuesday afternoon with the NYSE Energy Sector Index up 0.6% and the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLE) adding 0.3%.

The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector index gained 0.9%, and the Dow Jones US Utilities index eased 0.1%.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil rose 1.4% to $81.49 a barrel, while global benchmark Brent crude advanced 1.3% to $85.31 a barrel. Henry Hub natural gas futures surged 4.3% to $2.91 per 1 million BTU.

In corporate news, Ballard Power Systems ( BLDP ) shares jumped 8.2% the company announced a partnership with Vertiv ( VRT ) to adapt hydrogen-powered fuel cells to supply backup electric power for data centers and other critical infrastructures. Vertiv's ( VRT ) stock rose 7.3%.