03:16 PM EDT, 08/29/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Energy stocks gained late Thursday afternoon with the NYSE Energy Sector Index up 0.8% and the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLE) rising 1.4%.

The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector index advanced 1.1%, and the Dow Jones US Utilities index added 0.2%.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil rose 1.9% to $75.92 a barrel, while global benchmark Brent advanced 1.6% to $79.93 a barrel.

US natural gas stocks rose 35 billion cubic feet in the week ended Friday, matching both the previous week and expectations in a survey compiled by Bloomberg.

Henry Hub natural gas futures rose 2.1% to $2.14 per 1 million BTU.

In corporate news, GE Vernova ( GEV ) shares rose 4.8% after the company said Thursday that it was selected by French utility company Reseau de Transport d'Electricite, or RTE, to build an electric substation designed to cut emissions of greenhouse gases by up to 99%.