-- Energy stocks rose late Thursday afternoon, with the NYSE Energy Sector Index gaining 1% and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) up 0.8%.
The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector Index advanced 0.4%, and the Dow Jones US Utilities Index climbed 2.4%.
West Texas Intermediate crude oil fell 2% to $104.75 a barrel, and global benchmark Brent dropped 3.4% to $114.01 a barrel. Henry Hub natural gas futures rose 4.4% to $2.76 per 1 million BTU.
In corporate news, Southern (SO) shares climbed 2.9% after it reported Q1 adjusted net income Thursday of $1.32 per share, up from $1.23 a year earlier. Analysts polled by FactSet expected $1.21.