09:23 AM EDT, 09/03/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Energy stocks were declining pre-bell Wednesday, with the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund ( XLE ) down 1%.

The United States Oil Fund ( USO ) was 1.8% lower and the United States Natural Gas Fund ( UNG ) was up 3.5%.

Front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil was 1.8% lower at $64.42 per barrel at the New York Mercantile Exchange. Global benchmark North Sea Brent crude oil lost 1.6% to $68.03 per barrel, and natural gas futures were up 3.8% at $3.12 per 1 million British Thermal Units.

S&P Dow Jones Indices said TechnipFMC ( FTI ) will replace Skechers USA ( SKX ) in the S&P MidCap 400, effective Sept. 12, as 3G Capital's acquisition of Skechers is expected to be completed soon. TechnipFMC ( FTI ) shares were up more than 4% premarket.

Shell (SHEL) said its subsidiary Shell Nederland Raffinaderij has chosen not to proceed with its planned biofuels facility at the Shell Energy and Chemicals Park in Rotterdam, Netherlands, after an in-depth competitiveness reassessment. Shell shares were 0.4% lower premarket.