(1:00) - Why Are Oil Prices Surging?(6:45) - What Impact Will Iran Have On The Oil Market?(9:15) - Low Carbon Emissions: Is The World Ready To Switch To Clean Energy?(12:50) - Should Investors Consider Exposure To Energy Stocks?(18:20) - Top Stock & ETF Picks To Keep On Your Radar(24:45) - Episode Roundup: Podcast@Zacks.comIn this episode of ETF Spotlight, I speak with Sheraz Mian, Zacks Director of Research and a former oil analyst, about investing in the hot energy sector.Crude prices are up more than 40% this year and 80% over the past year as the demand outlook continues to improve with economies around the world opening up. Oil demand could exceed pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2022, per International Energy Agency. Per WSJ, option traders are betting on return of $100 oil by the end of next year, a level not seen since 2014.Investors are becoming more socially and environmentally conscious and pouring a lot of money into ESG ETFs. Fund giants like BlackRock and Vanguard continue to push companies on climate progress. Some of the major oil companies have started investing more in renewables. How will ESG investing trend impact oil and energy companies in the coming years? Energy is the best performing sector this year up more than 48%. Sheraz’s favorite energy stocks are: Chevron CVX, Pioneer Natural Resources PXD, EOG resources EOG, Schlumberger SLB and Halliburton HAL. Tune in to the podcast to learn more about them.The most popular oil ETFs—the United States Oil Fund USO, the ProShares Ultra Bloomberg Crude Oil UCO and the Invesco DB Oil Fund DBO--use different futures strategies to track oil prices. They are good at tracking the commodity in the shorter-term but could perform much worse than the commodity in the longer-term due to contango issues.For long-term investors, it is better to consider ETFs that hold energy companies, rather than futures. The Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund XLE and the Vanguard Energy ETF VDE are market cap weighted ETFs. Exxon XOM and Chevron account for about 40% of the portfolio.The SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF XOP is an equal-weighted ETF. It tilts away from the oil giants and toward small- and mid-cap companies.Make sure to be on the lookout for the next edition of the ETF Spotlight! If you have any comments or questions, please email podcast@zacks.com.Want key ETF info delivered straight to your inbox?Zacks’ free Fund Newsletter will brief you on top news and analysis, as well as top-performing ETFs, each week. Get it free >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Chevron Corporation (CVX): Free Stock Analysis Report Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM): Free Stock Analysis Report Schlumberger Limited (SLB): Free Stock Analysis Report Halliburton Company (HAL): Free Stock Analysis Report Pioneer Natural Resources Company (PXD): Free Stock Analysis Report EOG Resources, Inc. (EOG): Free Stock Analysis Report Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE): ETF Research Reports United States Oil ETF (USO): ETF Research Reports Invesco DB Oil ETF (DBO): ETF Research Reports SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (XOP): ETF Research Reports ProShares Ultra Bloomberg Crude Oil (UCO): ETF Research Reports Vanguard Energy ETF (VDE): ETF Research Reports To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research