03:41 PM EDT, 03/17/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Energy stocks were higher late Tuesday afternoon, with the NYSE Energy Sector Index rising 1.5% and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) adding 1.1%.

The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector Index climbed 3.1%, and the Dow Jones US Utilities Index was fractionally higher.

Front-month West Texas Intermediate crude oil rose 2.4% to $95.77 a barrel, and the global benchmark Brent crude contract advanced 2.9% to $103.15 a barrel. Henry Hub natural gas futures rose 0.4% to $3.03 per 1 million BTU.

In corporate news, Permian Resources ( PR ) shares gained 2.2% after the company on Tuesday saw a credit rating upgrade from S&P Global Ratings, which raised its issuer credit rating from BB+ to BBB- and its unsecured debt rating from BB+ to BBB-.