-- Energy stocks were edging higher premarket Wednesday, with the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) advancing by 0.3%.
The United States Oil Fund (USO) was down 0.5% and The United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) was 1.4% higher.
Front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil was 2% higher at $91.43 per barrel at the New York Mercantile Exchange. Global benchmark North Sea Brent crude oil rose 1.8% to $100.22 per barrel, and natural gas futures were up 2% at $2.75 per 1 million British Thermal Units.
Exxon Mobil (XOM) is considering a sale of its Esso-branded gas station network in Hong Kong, with the assets valued at about $500 million to $600 million, Bloomberg News reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Shares of Exxon Mobil were 0.1% higher pre-bell.
Seadrill (SDRL) shares were up 0.2% after the company said it secured two offshore drilling contracts from LLOG Exploration, a subsidiary of Harbour Energy, adding about $260 million to its backlog.