** Shares of U.S. oil companies rise, tracking crude prices

** Benchmark Brent crude up 2.4%, at $76.43 a barrel and U.S. WTI crude up 2.7%, at $73.64 a barrel, as investors returned for the first trading day of the new year with an optimistic eye on China's economy and fuel demand after a pledge by President Xi Jinping to promote growth

** Energy majors Exxon Mobil up 0.3% and Chevron

up 1.9%

** Permian Resources up 3.8%, Devon Energy up 3.1%, Halliburton up 3%, PBF Energy up 1.5% - among the top pct. gainers on the energy index

** Energy Information Administration data for the week ending Dec. 27 showed crude stocks down, while gasoline and distillate inventories rose sharply as demand weakened in the week

(Reporting by Seher Dareen in Bengaluru)

((Seher.Dareen@thomsonreuters.com;))