(Updates)
** S&P 500 Energy Sector .SPNY up 1% as crude prices gain
** Brent crude LCOc1 up 1.3% at $88.54/bbl and US West
Texas Intermediate crude CLc1 up 1.4% at $84.9/bbl as oil
supplies face fresh threats with escalating conflict in the
Middle East and Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries O/R
** Oil majors Exxon Mobil XOM.N and Chevron CVX.N rise
2% and 1.3%, respectively
** Phillips 66 PSX.N , Occidental Petroleum OXY.N , Valero
Energy VLO.N , Marathon Petroleum MPC.N and Pioneer Natural
Resources PXD.N up between 1.6% and 2.6%, among top pct
gainers on the energy index
(Reporting by Kabir Dweit)
((Kabir.Dweit@thomsonreuters.com))