-- Financial stocks were rising pre-bell Friday, with the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) advancing by 0.2%.
The Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) was 0.9% higher and its bearish counterpart Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ) was down 0.7%.
Essent Group (ESNT) shares were up 1% after the company reported higher Q1 earnings and revenue.
Energy stocks were lower late Friday afternoon, with the NYSE Energy Sector Index and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) each decreasing about 0.4%.The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector Index rose 1%, and the Dow Jones US Utilities Index shed 0.7%.In sector news, crude oil prices rose Friday as tensions flared up again in the Middle East conflict ahead of Iran's expected response to a US proposal to end the war. US forces disabled three empty Iranian oil tankers that violated the American blockade in the Strait of Hormuz in the past three days, US Central Command said Friday. The US and Iran traded fire Thursday in the narrow waterway. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expects Iran to respond to Washington's peace proposal on Friday, CNBC reported.Front-month West Texas Intermediate crude oil rose 0.6% to $95.41 a barrel, and the global benchmark Brent crude contract was advancing 1% to $101.07 a barrel. Henry Hub natural gas futures fell 0.7% to $2.75 per 1 million BTU.In corporate news, Calumet (CLMT) shares fell 7% after it reported a Q1 loss Friday of $3.64 per diluted share, widening from a loss of $1.87 a year earlier. Analysts surveyed by FactSet expected a loss of $0.33.Devon Energy (DVN) stock rose 0.5% after it launched a new share repurchase authorization of $8 billion and raised its fixed dividend to $0.32 per share, payable June 30 to shareholders of record June 15.Shell (SHEL) CEO Wael Sawan said the global oil market faces a shortage of nearly 1 billion barrels of crude due to the ongoing Iran conflict, warning that the supply deficit is "deepening every single day." Shell shares were down 0.4%.Presidio Production (FTW) signed definitive purchase and sale agreements to acquire the Canyon Creek assets for about $83 million in its first acquisition as a public company, the company said Friday. Presidio shares rose 4.2%.
Financial stocks were lower late Friday afternoon, with the NYSE Financial Index decreasing 0.1% and the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) shedding 0.5%.The Philadelphia Housing Index was up 0.1%, and the State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLRE) added 0.4%.Bitcoin (BTC-USD) rose 0.1% to $80,056, and the yield for 10-year US Treasuries lost 2.8 basis points to 4.36%.In economic news, the April employment report showed nonfarm payrolls rose by 115,000, above the 65,000 jobs rise expected in a Bloomberg survey, while March payrolls were revised up to a 185,000 increase and February payrolls were revised down to a 156,000 decrease.The University of Michigan's preliminary consumer sentiment index fell to 48.2 in May from 49.8 in April, lower than the expectations for a smaller decrease to 49.5 in a Bloomberg poll.In corporate news, Apollo Global Management (APO) and Blackstone (BX) are among the private-credit firms involved in discussions with Broadcom (AVGO) on $35 billion in financing, Bloomberg reported. Apollo shares rose 3.8%, and Blackstone added 1%.Block (XYZ) shares jumped past 7% after the company late Thursday reported higher adjusted earnings and revenue that also beat analysts' estimates.Two Harbors Investment (TWO) shares rose 1.3% after the firm said it signed an amended merger agreement with CrossCountry Mortgage to increase the all-cash buyout offer to $12 per share from $11.30.Goldman Sachs-backed (GS) Go is seeking a valuation of about 200 billion Japanese yen ($1.28 billion) for its initial public offering in Tokyo, Bloomberg reported. Goldman was up 1.1%.
Healthcare stocks declined late Friday afternoon, with the NYSE Healthcare Index and the State Street Healthcare Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) each shedding about 0.9%. The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) decreased 0.3%.In sector news, President Donald Trump has approved a plan to fire the US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday. Trump expressed displeasure in recent days with Makary for taking too long to approve flavored vapes and nicotine pouches, the Journal reported earlier this week.In corporate news, Zoetis (ZTS) shares fell past 5% after Ameriprise downgraded the stock to hold from buy following its Q1 results Thursday. UBS also cut its price target to $99 from $130, and Jefferies to $117 from $155.Traws Pharma (TRAW) shares surged 28%. The company said Friday it plans to develop potential therapies for the treatment and prevention of hantavirus infections using its portfolio of antiviral drug candidates targeting negative-strand RNA viruses.Novo Nordisk (NVO) saw a 40% month-on-month surge in April sales of its diabetes and weight-loss drugs in India after slashing prices, despite a flood of generic versions, Bloomberg reported, citing data from market researcher Pharmarack. Novo added 0.5%.PTC Therapeutics (PTCT) shares jumped past 14% after posting a smaller-than-expected net loss for Q1, as well as total revenue that surpassed analysts' consensus.