Sector Update: Energy

01:29 PM EDT, 10/15/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Energy stocks were lower Thursday afternoon, with the NYSE Energy Sector Index falling 1.1% and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) dropping 1.5%. The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector Index was declining 1.7%, and the Dow Jones US Utilities Index was 0.1% lower. Front-month West Texas Intermediate crude oil rose 3.1% to $98.01 a barrel, and the global benchmark Brent crude contract was 0.2% lower at $105.87 a barrel. Henry Hub natural gas futures added 0.5% to $3.22 per 1 million BTU. In corporate news, SM Energy (SM) shares were down 1.4%. The company said late Wednesday it expects a net derivative settlement loss of $207 million for Q3 that will impact results for the quarter.