Sector Update: Energy Stocks Gain Late Afternoon

04:00 PM EDT, 10/16/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Energy stocks were higher late Friday afternoon, with the NYSE Energy Sector Index rising 1.9% and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) adding 2.3%. The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector Index was climbing up 1.5%, and the Dow Jones US Utilities Index was up 1.2%. Front-month West Texas Intermediate crude oil rose 3.6% to $101.47 a barrel, and the global benchmark Brent crude contract climbed 3.5% to $109.66 a barrel. Henry Hub natural gas futures fell 3.8% to $3.11 per 1 million BTU. In corporate news, ExxonMobil (XOM) sees a $4.4 billion gain to Q3 total earnings on changes in margins relative to the previous quarter, it said in a regulatory filing Friday. Shares rose 2.4%. NiSource (NI) shares rose 3.7% after the firm said it has struck a 20-year agreement with Microsoft (MSFT) to supply power to its 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 2.9%. Venture Global's (VG) new power agreements with GE Vernova (GEV) and Baker Hughes (BKR) are expected to accelerate the buildout of its industrial power network and support the company's plans to develop large-scale AI infrastructure, UBS said in a report. UBS kept its buy rating and a $21 price target. Venture shares were up 1.2%.