03:42 PM EDT, 03/26/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Energy stocks were higher late Thursday afternoon, with the NYSE Energy Sector Index rising 1.4% and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) adding 1.7%.

The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector Index was climbing 1.2%, and the Dow Jones US Utilities Index was fractionally higher.

Front-month West Texas Intermediate crude oil jumped 4.6% to $94.43 a barrel, and the global benchmark Brent crude contract gained 5.4% to to $107.72 a barrel. Henry Hub natural gas futures rose 1.2% to $2.99 per 1 million BTU.

In corporate news, Occidental Petroleum ( OXY ) Chief Executive Vicki Hollub is preparing to retire after a decade at the helm, Reuters reported. Occidental shares were up 3.6%.