By Steve Gelsi, MarketWatch
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Energy stocks traded mixed Tuesday, as oil prices found their footing near the $81-a-barrel mark and as investors kept a close eye out for what the Federal Reserve's latest comments on interest rates might say.
The NYSE Arca Oil Index (XOI 1,072, +5.19, +0.49%) rose 0.1% to 1,068. However, the NYSE Arca Natural Gas Index (XNG 547.35, -0.69, -0.13%) fell 0.5% to 545 and the Philadelphia Oil Service Index (OSX 211.66, +1.52, +0.72%) was off fractionally at 210.
In energy futures, the crude-oil contract rose 95 cents to $80.75 a barrel, recovering from losses in the previous session.
Among stocks in the spotlight, Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A 58.78, +0.85, +1.47%) rose 1% to $58.50.
The oil major said it's expecting upstream production to reach 3.5 million barrels of oil equivalent a day in 2012, which would be 11% higher than 2009 production levels.
The company's assessing over 35 new projects from some 8 billion barrels of oil equivalent resources, management said.
Shell expects cash flow from operations will increase by about 50% from 2009 to 2012, assuming oil prices in the $60 range, and by more than 80%, assuming $80-a-barrel oil. It expects asset sales between $1 billion and $3 billion each year.
