09:20 AM EDT, 04/10/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Energy stocks were down premarket Wednesday with the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund ( XLE ) 0.6% lower recently.

The United States Oil Fund ( USO ) was 0.7% higher and the United States Natural Gas Fund ( UNG ) was up 1%.

Front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil was up 0.6% at $85.77 per barrel at the New York Mercantile Exchange. Global benchmark North Sea crude oil gained 0.7% to $90.00 per barrel. Natural gas futures were up 2.5% at $1.918 per 1 million British Thermal Units.

Diamondback Energy ( FANG ) was 0.7% lower after it priced an offering of $850 million of 5.2% notes maturing in April 2027, $850 million of 5.15% notes maturing in January 2030, $1.3 billion of 5.4% notes maturing in April 2034, $1.5 billion of 5.75% notes maturing in April 2054 and $1 billion of 5.9% notes maturing in April 2064.

Shell's (SHEL) former Chief Executive Ben van Beurden said Shell and other European oil and gas companies are at a disadvantage to their US-listed rivals, Reuters reported. Shell was up 0.4% pre-bell.