03:43 PM EDT, 04/07/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Energy stocks advanced late Tuesday afternoon with the NYSE Energy Sector Index rising 0.5% and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) adding 0.6%.

The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector Index climbed 1.5%, and the Dow Jones US Utilities Index rose 0.3%.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil advanced 0.5% to $113.01 a barrel, and global benchmark Brent fell 1.3% to $108.28 a barrel. Henry Hub natural gas futures climbed 1.8% to $2.86 per 1 million BTU.

In corporate news, Ecopetrol ( EC ) said Tuesday its board approved an unpaid leave of absence for President Ricardo Roa Barragan, effective May 28 for 30 days, following his scheduled vacation from April 7 to May 27. The move comes amid a probe by the Colombian attorney general's office into allegations of influence peddling by Roa, Reuters reported. Ecopetrol ( EC ) shares were down 1.4%.