Sector Update: Energy Stocks Higher Late Afternoon

03:57 PM EDT, 10/29/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Energy stocks were higher late Thursday afternoon, with the NYSE Energy Sector Index rising 0.4% and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) fractionally higher. The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector Index added 0.3%, and the Dow Jones US Utilities Index advanced 1.4%. Front-month West Texas Intermediate crude oil decreased 0.6% to $102.17 a barrel, and the global benchmark Brent crude contract shed 0.4% to $114.87 a barrel. Henry Hub natural gas futures dropped 3.5% to $2.93 per 1 million BTU. In sector news, Russia will extend its export ban on diesel fuel until yearend but will allow some companies to ship diesel under a quota system to meet its recent commitment to the US, Reuters reported. Separately, US natural gas stocks rose by 80 billion cubic feet in the week ended Oct. 23, larger than the 72 billion cubic foot increase expected in a survey compiled by Bloomberg and following an increase of 77 billion cubic feet in the previous week. In corporate news, executives from Exxon Mobil (XOM) and Chevron (CVX) have canceled their plans to attend the United Arab Emirates' largest oil show next week over security concerns, Reuters reported. Exxon CEO Darren Woods was set to attend the conference in Abu Dhabi, while Chevron Upstream president Clay Neff was also slated to appear, the report said. Exxon shares were up 0.4%, and Chevron was adding 0.8%. NextDecade (NEXT) shares jumped 14% after the company reported that it swung to Q3 earnings of $0.54 per diluted share, from a $0.42 loss per share a year earlier. Shell (SHEL) shares rose 2.5% after it reported higher fiscal Q3 adjusted net income and revenue. Cheniere Energy (LNG) gained past 7% after the company reported higher Q3 earnings and revenue.