09:09 AM EST, 01/16/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Energy stocks were edging higher pre-bell Friday, with the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) advancing by 0.3%.

The United States Oil Fund (USO) was 1.8% higher and the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) was down 0.7%.

Front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil was up 1.4% at $59.99 per barrel at the New York Mercantile Exchange. Global benchmark North Sea Brent crude oil gained 1.4% to $64.61 per barrel, and natural gas futures were 0.7% lower at $3.11 per 1 million British Thermal Units.

Chevron ( CVX ) shares were 0.2% higher after the company said its Mediterranean subsidiary and the working interest owners of the Leviathan natural gas field located offshore Israel have reached a final investment decision to expand the production capacity of the production platform.