Not long ago, it was hard for retail investors to play the oil patch. Not anymore. As the energy bull market rages on, investors looking for a piece of the gains in oil and gas (and alternative energy) need only select from the dozens of energy-oriented Exchange Traded Funds (ETFSs) that are cropping up to meet demand.

The markets seesawed amid mixed economic and financial news on Thursday.

Stocks tumbled Wednesday as oil's resurgence lit the fuse of inflation fears, pushing the Dow to a three-month low.  Oil jumped about $5 a barrel, settling at $136.38. Financials were the hardest hit.

Following is a summary of top stories in the energy sector Wednesday afternoon.

Global gas assets, especially in countries like Australia, have become a red-hot commodity as companies race to outbid each other for the clean energy to meet a spike in Asian demand that outpaces supply.

Government data scheduled for release Wednesday is expected to show that crude-oil inventories fell last week for the second straight period while gasoline stockpiles rose again.

Billionaire Wilbur Ross says the nation's housing situation is scarier than the oil-price crunch.

Most business news this week took a back seat to oil's relentless climb, but there were still some notable moments. And CNBC guests had plenty of stocks to recommend for worried investors.

To help investors survive the current market volatility, CNBC asked the experts where they're placing their bets in this environment.

World stocks rallied Monday amid signs investors were becoming more confident that the worst of the economic slump might be over.

Exxon Mobil posted disappointing first-quarter earnings, as record crude oil prices did not help the company as much as investors hoped.

Headline themes ran through Wednesday's stock chatter on CNBC: Food inflation, oil and defense against economic turmoil. Click for analyst insights and recommendations.

Oil stocks are shooting up like geysers -- but which ones should you buy? Jason Gammel, senior oil analyst at Macquarie Capital, and Tina Vital, integrated oil & gas analyst at S&P, agree on two stocks -- for different reasons.

Exxon Mobil is due to report earnings Thursday; Chevron will report Friday. How should investors play the oil bigs? Rebecca Darst of Interactive Brokers told CNBC that one key is to watch options trading.