-- Energy stocks were higher late Thursday afternoon, with the NYSE Energy Sector Index and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) each adding 0.7%.
The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector Index gained 0.9%, and the Dow Jones US Utilities Index climbed 2.7%.
Front-month West Texas Intermediate crude oil was rising 3.6% to $96.32 a barrel, and the global benchmark Brent crude contract was advancing 3.6% to $105.54 a barrel. Henry Hub natural gas futures added 1% to $2.67 per 1 million BTU.
In corporate news, NextEra Energy (NEE) shares jumped past 7%. The company reported Q1 adjusted earnings Thursday of $1.09 per diluted share, up from $0.99 a year earlier, and also above the average estimate of analysts polled by FactSet.