Sector Update: Energy

09:02 AM EDT, 10/16/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Energy stocks were advancing premarket Friday, with the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) 0.8% higher. The United States Oil Fund (USO) was down 0.5% and the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) was 4.2% lower. Front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil was 0.3% lower at $97.66 per barrel at the New York Mercantile Exchange. Global benchmark North Sea Brent crude oil rose 0.1% to $105.98 per barrel, and natural gas futures were down 4.3% at $3.10 per 1 million British Thermal Units. Shell (SHEL) has signed an agreement to sell its mobility business in France to DCC Energy, Reuters reported, citing a person familiar with the matter and documents. Shares of Shell were up more than 1% pre-bell.