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Sectors
Sector Update: Financial Stocks Decline Friday
Financial stocks declined Friday with the NYSE Financial Index decreasing 0.6% and the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) falling 1.1%.The Philadelphia Housing Index was little changed, and the State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLRE) rose 0.2%.Bitcoin (BTC-USD) rose 1.8% to $73,058, and the yield for 10-year US Treasuries rose 2.4 basis points to 4.317%.In economic news, US consumer inflation in March accelerated to its highest monthly reading in almost four years as the Middle East conflict drove energy prices higher. The consumer price index advanced 0.9% last month, the fastest pace of growth since June 2022, Bureau of Labor Statistics data showed, matching expectations from a Bloomberg survey of analysts. Prices rose 0.3% in February. Annually, inflation rose to 3.3% versus February's 2.4% increase, falling short of Wall Street's 3.4% projection.US consumer sentiment in April fell to the lowest ever, reflecting heightened worries about higher prices and the overall economic fallout from the Middle East conflict, the University of Michigan's preliminary survey showed. The main sentiment index plunged about 11% to 47.6 from March. Wall Street expected 51.5 print, according to a Bloomberg poll.In corporate news, KKR (KKR) and EQT AB are among private equity firms showing takeover interest in PolyPeptide Group, Bloomberg reported. KKR shares dropped 1.7%.Ares Management (ARES) is planning to launch a flagship US direct lending fund with a preliminary target of $20 billion, smaller than its previous record-breaking investment vehicle of $33.6 billion, Bloomberg reported. Ares shares fell 4.1%.Fair Isaac (FICO) shares dropped 14% after Barclays cut its price target on the stock to $1,950 from $2,400 while maintaining its overweight rating.Blackstone (BX) is mulling an initial public offering that could raise $2 billion for a firm that will acquire data centers, Bloomberg reported. Blackstone shares fell 1.8%.
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Sectors
Sector Update: Energy Stocks Mixed Late Afternoon
Energy stocks were mixed late Friday afternoon, with the NYSE Energy Sector Index fractionally higher and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) decreasing 0.9%.The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector Index was shedding 0.5%, and the Dow Jones US Utilities Index was down 0.4%.In sector news, oil prices stabilized at under $100 a barrel on Friday ahead of US-Iran talks in Pakistan as markets sought clarity on whether this weekend's huddle in Islamabad could lead to a long-term peace deal. Earlier in the week, the US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire, pausing a war that had spread across the Middle East and curtailed shipments through the crucial Strait of Hormuz. Oil prices on Wednesday posted their sharpest one-day pullback since 2020 after the ceasefire announcement.Front-month West Texas Intermediate crude oil fell 2.3% to $95.58 a barrel, and the global benchmark Brent crude contract shed 1.7% to $94.39 a barrel. Henry Hub natural gas futures fell 1.1% to $2.64 per 1 million BTU.In corporate news, ConocoPhillips (COP) has sent a team to Venezuela to evaluate the prospects of oil drilling in the country, the company said in an emailed statement to. ConocoPhillips shares were down 1.2%.Shell (SHEL) confirmed in an email toon Friday that it is in talks with Venezuela to produce natural gas at the Loran-Manatee offshore field, which crosses the border of Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago. The company expects to produce gas from Manatee in 2027 but has yet to take a final investment decision on the Loran field, according to a spokesperson. Shell shares were up 1.3%.The Port of Antwerp in Belgium, which is home to European refineries operated by Exxon Mobil (XOM) and TotalEnergies (TTE), was blocked following an oil spill during a ship refueling operation, preventing large vessels from entering or leaving the port, the port authority said Friday. Exxon shares shed 0.8%, and TotalEnergies was up 2.9%.EQT (EQT) and Glencore committed to acquiring an extra 1 million metric tons of liquefied natural gas annually from Commonwealth LNG through 20-year agreements, Reuters reported, citing a regulatory document. EQT shares were down 1.4%.
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Sectors
Sector Update: Tech Stocks Gain Late Afternoon
Tech stocks were higher late Friday afternoon, with the State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) up 0.7% and the State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) rising 2.4%.The Philadelphia Semiconductor index climbed nearly 3%.In corporate news, Amazon-backed (AMZN) Anthropic is exploring plans to design its own AI chips as it grapples with industry-wide shortages, Reuters reported. Amazon shares were up 2%.ServiceNow (NOW) shares fell 8.3%. The enterprise software company's competitive advantage may have eroded amid growing evidence that workflow automation tasks can be automated by harnessing AI models, UBS Securities said in a note. The brokerage downgraded its rating on the stock to neutral from buy and lowered its price target to $100 from $170.CoreWeave (CRWV) shares surged past 10% after the AI cloud computing company struck a deal to support the development and deployment of Anthropic's Claude AI models.Commvault Systems (CVLT) is exploring a sale after receiving takeover interest from multiple private equity firms and strategic buyers, Reuters reported. The data protection software provider is working with Goldman Sachs (GS) to weigh its options, the report said. Commvault shares popped 9%.
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