Sector Update: Energy

01:05 PM EDT, 10/19/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Energy stocks were lower Monday afternoon, with the NYSE Energy Sector Index decreasing 0.8% and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) down 0.7%. The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector Index was easing 0.3%, and the Dow Jones US Utilities Index declined 1.7%. Front-month West Texas Intermediate crude oil rose 0.5% to $101.87 a barrel, and the global benchmark Brent crude contract shed 0.5% to $109.32 a barrel. Henry Hub natural gas futures fell 2% to $3.06 per 1 million BTU. In corporate news, American Electric Power (AEP) said Monday it has reached an agreement with X-Energy (XE) to explore the development of a proposed 960-megawatt nuclear energy project in Sullivan County, Indiana. The initial project will use 12 Xe-10 small modular reactors of 80 MW each, and Amazon (AMZN) intends to buy power under a long-term contract, it said. AEP shares were down 1.7%, and X-Energy added 0.6%.