Utilities Shares Fall as Markets Keep Waiting for a Hormuz Deal — Utilities Roundup

Shares in the utilities sector fell amid lingering expectations about a Middle East agreement that would lead to a normalization of global oil supply. Meanwhile, Fed officials predicted an increase in interest rates this year, in a potential blow to the American consumer.

U.S. natural gas futures ended a choppy session lower, with the market watching for Thursday's weekly inventory report and the first named storm of the Atlantic season. Tropical storm Arthur is expected to be short-lived, weakening as it moves along the Texas coast into Louisiana. The EIA is expected to report an 82 Bcf storage injection for last week, expanding the surplus over the five-year average to 160 Bcf from 151 Bcf, according to a Wall Street Journal survey of analysts. Nymex natural gas settles down 2.9% at $3.145/mmBtu.

Write to Paulo Trevisani at paulo.trevisani@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

June 17, 2026 17:04 ET (21:04 GMT)