09:27 AM EDT, 09/17/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Energy stocks were edging higher premarket Tuesday, with The Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund ( XLE ) up 0.2%.

The United States Oil Fund ( USO ) was down 0.1% and the United States Natural Gas Fund ( UNG ) was 1.1% higher.

Front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil was up 0.3% at $70.28 per barrel at the New York Mercantile Exchange. Global benchmark North Sea Brent crude oil gained 0.1% to reach $72.81 per barrel, and natural gas futures were up 1.9% at $2.42 per 1 million British Thermal Units.

Seadrill ( SDRL ) and Oil States International ( OIS ) have signed a non-exclusive collaboration agreement to support the safety and efficiency of offshore managed pressure drilling operations, Oil States ( OIS ) said. Oil States International ( OIS ) shares were over 4% higher pre-bell.

Schlumberger ( SLB ) shares were up 0.8% after the company said it launched Lumi, a data and artificial intelligence platform.