09:23 AM EDT, 03/12/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Energy stocks were leaning lower premarket Tuesday as the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund ( XLE ) was declining by 0.1% recently.

The United States Oil Fund ( USO ) was 0.9% lower and the United States Natural Gas Fund ( UNG ) was up 3.3%.

Front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil was down 0.2% at $77.78 per barrel at the New York Mercantile Exchange. Global benchmark North Sea crude oil lost 0.2% to $82.07 per barrel, and natural gas futures were 2.7% higher at $1.81 per 1 million British Thermal Units.

A fire at Exxon Mobil's ( XOM ) Port Jerome-Gravenchon refinery in northern France is now under control after a gasoline distillation unit caught fire on Monday, Reuters reported, citing local authorities. Exxon Mobil ( XOM ) was marginally up pre-bell.

Petrobras (PBR) Chief Executive Officer Jean Prates was scheduled for a meeting on Monday with Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on a dividend debate roiling the company, Bloomberg News reported, citing government officials. According to Reuters, two Brazilian cabinet members said the proposed extraordinary dividend that was voted down by government-appointed board members will instead be held in reserve for future payouts. Petrobras was up 2.7% pre-bell.