Energy stocks were higher late Friday afternoon, with the NYSE Energy Sector Index rising 0.6% and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) adding 0.7%.
The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector Index was climbing 2.3%, and the Dow Jones US Utilities Index decreased 0.4%.
Front-month West Texas Intermediate crude oil rose 1.3% to $84.64 a barrel, and the global benchmark Brent crude contract added 1.2% to $90.12 a barrel. Henry Hub natural gas futures shed 0.4% to $2.75 per 1 million BTU.
In corporate news, Shell (SHEL) has agreed to sell its BG Cyprus subsidiary to MOL Group for up to $720 million, subject to customary adjustments and milestone-linked contingent payments, the company said Friday. Shell shares were up 1.4%.