-- Energy stocks declined late Friday afternoon, with the NYSE Energy Sector Index easing 0.1% and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) decreasing 0.8%.
The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector Index was shedding 0.5%, and the Dow Jones US Utilities Index was down 0.4%.
Front-month West Texas Intermediate crude oil fell 2.3% to $95.58 a barrel, and the global benchmark Brent crude contract shed 1.7% to $94.39 a barrel. Henry Hub natural gas futures fell 1.1% to $2.64 per 1 million BTU.
In corporate news, ConocoPhillips (COP) has sent a team to Venezuela to evaluate the prospects of oil drilling in the country, the company said in an emailed statement to. ConocoPhillips shares were down 1.1%.