08:58 AM EDT, 07/03/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Energy stocks were edging higher premarket Wednesday with the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLE) marginally advancing recently.

The United States Oil Fund (USO) was unchanged and the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) was 0.5% lower.

Front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil was up 0.2% at $82.94 per barrel at the New York Mercantile Exchange. Global benchmark North Sea Brent crude oil gained 0.2% to $86.39 per barrel, and natural gas futures were up 0.7% at $2.45 per 1 million British Thermal Units.

Kosmos Energy ( KOS ) was up over 1% after saying it has begun oil production at its Winterfell development in the Green Canyon area of the US Gulf of Mexico.