08:59 AM EST, 11/05/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Energy stocks were steady pre-bell Tuesday with the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLE) recently inactive.

The United States Oil Fund (USO) was up 0.2% and the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) was 0.2% lower.

Front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil was 0.6% higher at $71.88 per barrel at the New York Mercantile Exchange. Global benchmark North Sea Brent crude oil gained 0.6% to $75.50 per barrel, and natural gas futures were down 0.3% at $2.77 per 1 million British Thermal Units.

Marathon Petroleum ( MPC ) shares advanced by over 3% after the company reported lower Q3 adjusted earnings and revenue that still topped analysts' expectations. The company also said its board approved an incremental $5 billion increase to its share buyback capacity.