09:18 AM EDT, 09/10/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Energy stocks were edging higher premarket Wednesday, with The Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund ( XLE ) up 0.1%.

The United States Oil Fund ( USO ) was 1.1% higher and the United States Natural Gas Fund ( UNG ) was down 3.1%.

Front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil was 0.9% higher at $63.22 per barrel at the New York Mercantile Exchange. Global benchmark North Sea Brent crude oil gained 0.9% to reach $67.01 per barrel, and natural gas futures were down 3% at $3.02 per 1 million British Thermal Units.

Shell's (SHEL) Shell International Trading Middle East unit signed an agreement with Italian energy firm Edison for the sale and purchase of liquefied natural gas from the US, Edison said. Shell's shares were 0.4% higher pre-bell.

Equinor ( EQNR ) is open to the idea of combining its renewable assets with Danish wind developer Orsted, Bloomberg reported, citing the Norwegian energy company's chairman Jon Erik Reinhardsen. Equinor ( EQNR ) shares were up 0.8% premarket.