The strong result stood out in an industry that has been hurt by weaker oil and gas prices. The U.K.’s BP PLC and France’s Total SA both announced falls in third-quarter earnings , citing lower energy prices. The downstream results for all three companies were better than analysts expected, however, with BP citing high utilization of its refining capacity and Shell noting strong trading revenue. Exxon Mobil Corp. and Chevron Corp. are due to report results on Friday. However, Shell’s adjusted profit—excluding items such as income from asset sales—fell to $4.77 billion from $5.62 billion a year earlier. Shares in Shell were down 2.4% in early trading in London. Shell’s gas business reported a 23% increase in earnings for the period as production increased from fields in Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, and from the Prelude floating liquefied natural gas project. Shell’s energy mix pivoted toward gas with its acquisition […]