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Sector Update: Financial Stocks Higher Friday Afternoon

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Financial stocks were advancing in Friday afternoon trading, with the NYSE Financial Index rising 0.9% and the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) up 0.6%.

The Philadelphia Housing Index was climbing 1.5%, and the State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLRE) added 1.1%.

Bitcoin (BTC-USD) was increasing 1.7% to $77,833, and the yield for 10-year US Treasuries was slightly higher at 4.95%.

In economic news, the US consumer price index rose 0.4% month on month, the fastest pace since May and above July's 0.1% gain, the Bureau of Labor Statistics data showed Friday. The move matched the Bloomberg-polled consensus. Core inflation, which excludes the more volatile food and energy components, jumped to a four-month high of 0.3%, exceeding market projections for an unchanged 0.2% growth.

The University of Michigan's preliminary consumer sentiment index fell to 47.8 in September from 51.7 in August, larger than an expected decrease to 51.0 in a survey compiled by Bloomberg.

In corporate news, KKR (KKR) and Francisco Partners have agreed to buy minority stakes in Italian software company TeamSystem from its main investor Hellman & Friedman, Reuters reported. KKR shares were up 0.5%.

Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) warehouses could receive huge volumes of arabica coffee from Brazil, with two trade majors processing the certification of their stocks, Reuters reported. ICE Futures US runs the arabica coffee contract, and majors Olam and Louis Dreyfus are seeking to certify thousands of bags of coffee at the exchange in time for the December contract, sources told Reuters. Olam is processing up to 200,000 bags, according to the report. Intercontinental Exchange shares added 1.5%.

Blackstone (BX) intends to purchase many more tensor processing units from Alphabet (GOOGL) unit Google than initially outlined, The Information reported. The private equity and real estate giant's spending on TPUs could be several "multiples" beyond the $5 billion it announced under a joint venture with Google in May, the report said. Blackstone shares rose 2.4%.

What else is happening in Sectors?

Sectors

Sector Update: Financial Stocks Retreat Late Afternoon

Financial stocks declined in late Thursday afternoon trading, with the NYSE Financial Index decreasing 0.5% and the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) shedding 0.4%.The Philadelphia Housing Index was falling 2.1%, and the State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLRE) was down 0.9%.Bitcoin (BTC-USD) was shedding 1.5% to $77,084, and the yield for 10-year US Treasuries jumped 10.7 basis points to 4.944%.In economic news, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics' wholesale price inflation gauge, the Producer Price Index, jumped 5.4% from a year ago in August, above the 5.3% forecast in a Bloomberg-compiled survey. The PPI edged up 0.4% month over month, as expected, following a 0.1% increase in July. The August print is the highest growth rate since May.US initial jobless claims fell to 206,000 in the week ended Sept. 5 from an upwardly revised 207,000 in the previous week, compared with expectations for 205,000 in a Bloomberg-compiled poll.The European Central Bank raised its three key interest rates by 25 basis points on Thursday, as the energy shock caused by the Middle East war pushes inflation in the euro area above its 2% medium-term target.In corporate news, Apollo Global Management's (APO) Apollo Sports Capital is interested in investing in an NFL team, CEO Al Tylis said at Bloomberg's Power Players New York event, Bloomberg reported Thursday. Apollo shares were down 1.9%.Blackstone (BX) said Thursday private equity funds affiliated with Blackstone Capital Partners and Blackstone Energy Transition Partners have signed a deal to acquire Flow Control from Audax Private Equity. Shares were down 2.7%.TPG (TPG) is exploring a sale of healthcare software company Lyric that could value the business at about $5 billion, Reuters reported. TPG shares fell 4.1%.Coinbase (COIN) is positioning stablecoin payments as a key pillar of its future revenue strategy as it seeks to reduce its dependence on trading, Bloomberg reported, citing an interview with CEO Brian Armstrong. The US cryptocurrency exchange is working with banks, fintech firms and other companies to move more payment activity into stablecoins, a $300 billion market Armstrong believes could grow tenfold by 2030, the report said. Coinbase shares were shedding 1%.

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Sectors

Sector Update: Energy Stocks Decline Late Afternoon

Energy stocks were lower late Thursday afternoon, with the NYSE Energy Sector Index easing 0.2% and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) decreasing 0.4%.The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector Index was shedding 0.6%, and the Dow Jones US Utilities Index was declining 0.9%.In geopolitical news, an Iran-aligned militia group's threat to the alternative shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz grew stronger. Iran-aligned Houthis seized control of Yemen's port city of Mocha on Thursday, military sources said, gaining further leverage over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the southern outlet of the Red Sea and an important shipping route, Reuters reported.Front-month West Texas Intermediate crude oil jumped 6.4% to $102.23 a barrel, and the global benchmark Brent crude contract popped 6.2% to $107.44 a barrel. Henry Hub natural gas futures rose 0.6% to $2.84 per 1 million BTU.In sector news, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries cut its global oil demand outlook for 2026 on Thursday as high energy prices are expected to weigh on consumption. The cartel now expects oil consumption to increase by 380,000 barrels this year, down from its prior forecast that called for a gain of 580,000 barrels.US crude oil stocks, including those in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, fell by 1.6 million barrels in the week ended Sept. 4 following a decrease of 7.6 million barrels in the previous week. Excluding inventories in the SPR, commercial crude oil stocks fell by 400,000 barrels after a 4.5-million-barrel decline in the previous week, a much smaller drop than the 1.4-million-barrel decrease expected in a survey compiled by Bloomberg.US natural gas stocks rose by 40 billion cubic feet in the week ended Sept. 4, above the 34 billion increase expected in a survey compiled by Bloomberg and following an increase of 30 billion cubic feet in the previous week.In corporate news, Constellation Energy (CEG) agreed to acquire RISEC Holdings, owner of the Rhode Island State Energy Center, from Shell's (SHEL) North America energy unit, for $715 million. Constellation shares fell 2%, and Shell rose 0.5%.Braskem (BAK) said Wednesday that its subsidiary Voqen Energia amended a natural gas supply agreement with Petrobras (PBR), extending the contract through Dec. 31, 2029, from Dec. 31, 2026. Braskem shares jumped past 7%, and Petrobras was up 2.3%.TotalEnergies (TTE) and its partners plan to invest $10 billion in Angola over the next five years to increase oil output in the country, news outlets reported as early as Wednesday, citing remarks made by TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanne at a conference. TotalEnergies shares were down 0.2%.Vistra (VST) was Smart Insider's stock pick of the week after Chief Executive Jim Burke bought $1.2 million worth of shares between Aug. 24 and Sept. 1 at an average price of $135.38. Vistra shares were shedding 2.2%.

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Sectors

Sector Update: Tech Stocks Fall Late Afternoon

Tech stocks were lower late Thursday afternoon, with the State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) falling 1.4% and the State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) decreasing 0.7%.The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index dropped 2.5%.In corporate news, Microsoft-backed (MSFT) OpenAI Thursday launched ChatGPT for Financial Services, a ChatGPT Work product to support projects like equity research and financial models. Microsoft shares were fractionally higher.Advanced Micro Devices-backed (AMD) South Korean AI startup Upstage is considering a pre-listing funding round as one of its capital-market options, Bloomberg reported, citing co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Hwalsuk Lee. The company closed a 560 billion won ($416 million) Series C financing this year, bringing its funding to date to 730 billion won, the report said. AMD shares were down 3.4%.Amazon's (AMZN) Amazon Ads, the tech giant's advertising arm, has entered into a partnership with OpenAI through which it will let its advertisers place ads in ChatGPT, according to media reports. Separately, Amazon-backed Anthropic has granted the EU Agency for Cybersecurity, or ENISA, access to its Mythos 5 AI model, months after first promising access, Bloomberg reported. Amazon shares were decreasing 0.5%.Apple (AAPL) is apparently prioritizing volume gains over margins with its lower-than-expected pricing on the new iPhones, including its first-ever foldable smartphone, Morgan Stanley said in a note. The company set a starting price of $1,999 for the foldable iPhone Duo on Wednesday. Apple's new CEO John Ternus led the launch event that included the iPhone 18 and Watch Series 12. Apple shares rose 3.3%.

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