MW: Energy stocks get a lift from firmer crude prices
By Jim Jelter
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Oil and gas stocks opened higher Thursday, buoyed once again by crude oil prices and another strong start to the session across the broader market. Early trades lifted the NYSE Arca Oil Index (XOI 933.19, +9.74, +1.06%) 1.5% to 937 points, with Anadarko Petroleum Corp. (APC 42.28, +0.69, +1.65%) leading percentage gainers in the group on a 3.4% advance to $43 a share. The NYSE Arca Natural Gas Index (XNG 506.21, +3.74, +0.74%) was ahead 1.2% at 509 points and the Philadelphia Oil Service Sector Index was up 1% at nearly 176 points. Crude-oil for August delivery was up $1.65, or 2.2%, at $75.70 a barrel in New York as traders extended the previous session's gains on a drop in first-time U.S. jobless claims.
