03:38 PM EDT, 04/17/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Energy stocks were sharply lower late Friday afternoon, with the NYSE Energy Sector Index dropping 3.5% and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) falling 2.8%.

The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector Index declined 1%, and the Dow Jones US Utilities Index decreased 0.6%.

Front-month West Texas Intermediate crude oil slumped 10% to $84.78 a barrel, and the global benchmark Brent crude contract dropped 8.6% to $90.82 a barrel. Henry Hub natural gas futures rose 1.2% to $2.68 per 1 million BTU.

In corporate news, Exelon ( EXC ) shares fell 1.5% after multiple brokerages downgraded the energy provider.