Financial stocks were higher pre-bell Thursday, with the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) up 0.1%.
The Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) gained 0.4%, and its bearish counterpart Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ) was 0.1% lower.
Barclays (BCS) shares traded up 2.5% after the company said the projected capital ratios for its US business remained above the regulatory minimum levels across all nine quarters of the Federal Reserve's stress test.
Nomura (NMR) shares rose 2.9% after Nikkei Asia reported that Circle Internet Group (CRCL), the company behind the USDC stablecoin, is planning to work with Nomura to launch instant foreign-exchange settlement services for Japanese businesses as early as 2027. Circle Internet stock rose 0.9% in premarket activity.