Energy Higher as Irma Heads for U.S. -- Energy Roundup

Shares of energy producers were higher as traders braced for disruption to markets from another destructive hurricane.

Data showed U.S. oil inventories rose and gasoline inventories declined partly because of the effect Hurricane Harvey had on refinery activity in the Gulf of Mexico region.

On Thursday afternoon, a significant percentage of gas stations in Gainesville, Fla., the West Palm Beach area and the Fort Myers-Naples area were out of gas, according to GasBuddy, which tracks fuel prices and supplies. Buyers were filling up as they evacuated areas of Florida in advance of Hurricane Irma, a powerful storm that has devastated Barbuda and other Caribbean islands as it heads toward the U.S. Southeast. The storm could also shut down the port of Savannah, Ga., one of the largest in the U.S.

Rob Curran, rob.curran@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 07, 2017 17:12 ET (21:12 GMT)