-- Energy stocks were higher Thursday afternoon, with the NYSE Energy Sector Index rising 1.9% and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) adding 1.7%.
The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector Index was increasing 0.9%, and the Dow Jones US Utilities Index was shedding 0.4%.
Front-month West Texas Intermediate crude oil was rising 4% to $94.95 a barrel, and the global benchmark Brent crude contract was advancing 5% to $99.64 a barrel. Henry Hub natural gas futures rose 1.1% to $2.64 per 1 million BTU.
In corporate news, TotalEnergies (TTE) shares climbed 4.5% after the firm said Thursday that Q1 exploration and production results are expected to rise significantly, backed by higher oil prices and contributions from new projects.