By Jim Jelter
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Oil and gas stocks opened higher Thursday, pulled along by crude oil prices' brief overnight rally past $72 a barrel and modest gains in the equities market. Oil field service companies were showing the strongest gains in the sector, with the Philadelphia Oil Service Index (OSX 172.80, +1.54, +0.90%) up 1.3% at 173 points. The NYSE Arca Oil Index (XOI 958.79, +2.39, +0.25%) was ahead 0.4% at 960, led by a 1.6% advance by refiner Sunoco (SUN 25.99, +0.24, +0.93%) , while the NYSE Arca Natural Gas Index (XNG 465.15, +0.34, +0.07%) was up 0.4% at 466.6 points. September crude-oil futures in New York were last trading 62 cents higher at $70.78 a barrel.
