Energy stocks were higher late Tuesday afternoon, with the NYSE Energy Sector Index rising 0.3% and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) adding 0.2%.
The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector Index was down 0.3%, and the Dow Jones US Utilities Index was fractionally higher.
Front-month West Texas Intermediate crude oil rose 2% to $79.70 a barrel, and the global benchmark Brent crude contract gained 2.4% to $85.30 a barrel. Henry Hub natural gas futures increased 0.7% to $2.92 per 1 million BTU.
In corporate news, Thomas Barrack, US special envoy for Syria and Iraq, has held talks with officials from both countries as well as Chevron (CVX) and other companies about reviving a defunct pipeline running from Iraq to the western coast of Syria, Bloomberg reported. Chevron shares were down 0.1%.