Crude prices rose on Tuesday, propelling oil stocks higher and providing markets with respite after recent falls.
The price of a barrel of Brent crude rose 1.4% to US$38.5 while US West Texas Intermediate gained 1.3% to US$36.8.
The oil and gas sector spearheaded gains on the FTSE 100 Index, with BP (LON:BP.) lifting 9.85p, or 3%. to 339.15p and Royal Dutch Shell (LON:RDSB) advancing 47p, or 3.3%, to 1475p.
Shares in BG Group (LON:BG.), which is merging with Shell, put on 34.3p, or 3.7%, to 953.8p despite concerns about the tie-up sparked by oil prices below US$40 a barrel.
Analyst Jasper Lawler at CMC Markets said: "The feeling is that the majority of shareholders will vote for the deal to go ahead at the beginning of next year.
"However, the idea of postponement or renegotiation could gain popularity if the price of oil goes much lower, bringing down the value of BG’s assets."
Meanwhile, smaller oil companies involved in hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, got a boost as an official UK report said the extraction technique should get the go-ahead subject to strict conditions.
IGAS Energy (LON:IGAS) jumped 1.75p, or 12.5%, to 15.75p. Centrica (LON:CNA), which has a 25% stake in fracking company Cuadrilla Resources, dropped 0.1p to 208p.