Marathon (NYSE:MRO), Repsol (NYSE:REP), Tesoro (NYSE:TSO), El Paso (NYSE:EP), Williams (NYSE:WMB) Finish Up on Strong Trading Day Thursday

The announcement by Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) that they were going to spin off their refining business helped pull up the overall industry, and others like Repsol (NYSE:REP), Tesoro (NYSE:TSO), El Paso (NYSE:EP) and Williams (NYSE:WMB) all finished Thursday positive.

Another early factor in Thursday energy trading was oil rising above $92 a barrel, but falling back later in the trading session, sending mixed signals, causing other companies to fall some, including Newfield Exploration (NYSE:NFX) and Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR).

Marathon closed the day at $42.97, gaining $2.45, or 6.04 percent. Repsol ended the trading session at $29.89, gaining $2.00, or 7.17 percent. El Paso closed at $14.09, gaining $0.29, or 2.10 percent. Williams closed trading at $26.52, up $0.63, or 2.43 percent. Tesoro closed at $18.89, up $0.12, or 0.64 percent.