Financial stocks were edging higher pre-bell Thursday, with the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) advancing by 0.1%.
The Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) was 0.1% higher and its bearish counterpart Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ) was up 0.3%.
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA) stock was up more than 6% after the company posted higher Q2 adjusted earnings and gross income.
ING Groep (ING) shares were up more than 5% after the company posted higher Q2 earnings and total income.
Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) said it has entered a definitive agreement to acquire MarketAxess Holdings (MKTX) for $167 per share in cash, representing an enterprise value of about $5.7 billion and an equity value of about $6.0 billion. MarketAxess Holdings stock was up more than 29% premarket.