03:31 PM EDT, 07/14/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Energy stocks were higher late Tuesday afternoon, with the NYSE Energy Sector Index rising 0.3% and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) adding 0.2%.

The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector Index was down 0.3%, and the Dow Jones US Utilities Index was fractionally higher.

Front-month West Texas Intermediate crude oil rose 2% to $79.70 a barrel, and the global benchmark Brent crude contract gained 2.4% to $85.30 a barrel. Henry Hub natural gas futures increased 0.7% to $2.92 per 1 million BTU.

In corporate news, Thomas Barrack, US special envoy for Syria and Iraq, has held talks with officials from both countries as well as Chevron ( CVX ) and other companies about reviving a defunct pipeline running from Iraq to the western coast of Syria, Bloomberg reported. Chevron ( CVX ) shares were down 0.1%.