Energy stocks were slightly higher Friday afternoon, with the NYSE Energy Sector Index rising 0.2% and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) up 0.1%.
The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector Index was decreasing 0.2%, and the Dow Jones US Utilities Index declined 1.7%.
Front-month West Texas Intermediate crude oil rose 0.1% to $86.90 a barrel, and the global benchmark Brent crude contract increased 0.5% to $94.25 a barrel. Henry Hub natural gas futures added 1.1% to $2.76 per 1 million BTU.
In corporate news, a German regulator found a carbon credits project funded by an Exxon Mobil (XOM) unit to be suspicious, possibly faking or overstating its environmental impact, Bloomberg reported, citing a report from the German Environment Agency. Exxon shares were down 0.3%.