(Updates)
** S&P 500 energy index hits record high, tracking higher crude prices, last up 1.4%
** Brent crude futures up 2.2% at $117.41/barrel, on course to finish over 13% higher for the month
** US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures climbed 2.04% to $104.8/barrel, heading for a monthly jump of about 15%
** Prices rise as fears of an escalation in the US-Iran conflict and a tanker attack in the Strait of Hormuz heighten supply concerns
** Phillips 66, Valero Energy, Marathon Petroleum and Diamondback Energy gain between 2.2% and 2.7%, among the top percentage gainers on the energy index
** Energy majors: ExxonMobil up 1.4% and Chevron rises 1.9%
** Separately, XOM and CVX beat Q3 profit estimates as surging refining margins boosted earnings from their fuel-making businesses
** Oilfield services companies: Baker Hughes up ~2% and Halliburton gains 1.4%
** ConocoPhillips, EOG Resources, Occidental Petroleum and EQT Corp up between 1% and 1.9%
(Reporting by Sumit Saha in Bengaluru)