Sector Update: Energy Stocks Rise Friday Afternoon

02:06 PM EDT, 10/16/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Energy stocks were higher Friday afternoon, with the NYSE Energy Sector Index rising 2.2% and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) adding 2.1%. The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector Index was climbing 1.2%, and the Dow Jones US Utilities Index was up 1.3%. Front-month West Texas Intermediate crude oil rose 3% to $100.87 a barrel, and the global benchmark Brent crude contract climbed 3.1% to $109.19 a barrel. Henry Hub natural gas futures fell 3.1% to $3.14 per 1 million BTU. In corporate news, ExxonMobil (XOM) sees a $4.4 billion gain to Q3 total earnings on account of changes in margins relative to the previous quarter, it said in a Friday filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Its shares rose 1.9%. NiSource (NI) shares added 3.4% after it said Friday it has reached a 20-year agreement with Microsoft (MSFT) to supply power to the company's planned data center campus in northwest Indiana, with service expected to begin in 2028. Shell (SHEL) has signed an agreement to sell its mobility business in France to DCC Energy, Reuters reported Friday. Shell shares rose 2.5%.