09:04 AM EDT, 04/22/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Energy stocks were edging higher premarket Wednesday, with the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) advancing by 0.2%.

The United States Oil Fund (USO) was down 0.6% and the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) was 1.1% higher.

Front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil was 1.5% higher at $91.03 per barrel at the New York Mercantile Exchange. Global benchmark North Sea Brent crude oil rose 1.5% to $99.96 per barrel, and natural gas futures were up 1.5% at $2.74 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 reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Shares of Exxon Mobil were 0.1% higher pre-bell.