Healthcare stocks rose Friday afternoon, with the NYSE Healthcare Index increasing 1.4% and the State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) adding 1.6%.
The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) declined 0.5%.
In corporate news, Amneal Pharmaceuticals (AMRX) said Friday that interim results from its phase 4 study of Crexont to treat Parkinson's disease demonstrated substantial clinical benefit after patients switched to the drug from Rytary. Amneal Pharmaceuticals' shares rose 2.1%.
Energy stocks were mixed late Thursday afternoon, with the NYSE Energy Sector Index increasing 0.2% and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) 0.1% lower.The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector Index climbed up 1.7%, and the Dow Jones US Utilities Index rose 0.5%.Front-month West Texas Intermediate crude oil fell 3% to $93.11 a barrel, and the global benchmark Brent crude contract dropped 2.7% to $95.18 a barrel. Henry Hub natural gas futures rose 4.7% to $3.37 per 1 million BTU.In sector news, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said waivers allowing countries to buy Russian oil could be granted on a country-by-country basis rather than across the board, Bloomberg reported, citing the official's testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee.In corporate news, Venture Global (VG) shares jumped 5.8% after JPMorgan upgraded the stock to overweight from neutral and increased its price target to $17 from $16.Expro (XPRO) shares surged past 8% after the company said it has filed its definitive proxy statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding its proposed move to redomicile in the Cayman Islands from the Netherlands.Solaris Energy Infrastructure (SEI) is expected to continue to expand capacity despite facing a tight supply chain in the near term, Morgan Stanley said in a note. Morgan Stanley kept its overweight rating and increased its price target to $90 from $81. Solaris shares rose 3%.Murphy Oil (MUR) shares rose 2.3% after KeyBanc upgraded the stock to overweight from sector weight.
Financial stocks were higher in late Thursday afternoon trading, with the NYSE Financial Index rising 2.2% and the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) climbing 2.6%.The Philadelphia Housing Index increased 0.7%, and the State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLRE) added 1.5%.Bitcoin (BTC-USD) was 2.6% lower at $63,852, and the yield for 10-year US Treasuries decreased 1.6 basis points to 4.48%.In economic news, US initial jobless claims rose to a level of 225,000 in the week ended May 30 from a downwardly revised 212,000 level in the previous week, compared with expectations for a 215,000 level in survey of analysts compiled by Bloomberg.Nonfarm productivity was revised down to a 0.3% growth pace in Q1 from a 0.8% increase in the previous estimate, below a 0.4% gain expected in a survey of analysts compiled by Bloomberg and following a 1.6% gain in Q4.In corporate news, JPMorgan Chase (JPM) and Jefferies Financial (JEF) are organizing trips to Caracas as foreign investor interest in Venezuela's economic reopening and debt restructuring grows, Bloomberg reported. JPMorgan shares rose 3.5%, and Jefferies climbed 4.4%.Blackstone's (BX) Blackstone Private Credit Fund said repurchase requests equaled about 10% of shares outstanding in Q2, but it will fulfill requests representing just 5% of its value, according to media reports on Thursday. Blackstone shares climbed 8.4%.Bank of America (BAC) shares rose 2.9% after it said Thursday it plans to introduce a cross-border real-time payment service for corporate and financial institution clients to instantly transfer funds via Swift or its digital CashPro system.Affirm (AFRM) and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board said Thursday that they have renewed and expanded their forward-flow agreement for consumer installment loans. Affirm shares rose 3.7%.
Tech stocks were lower late Thursday afternoon, with the State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) falling 1.1% and the State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) easing 0.2%. The Philadelphia Semiconductor index fell 1.7%.In sector news, Tesla (TSLA) Chief Executive Elon Musk is set to become the world's first trillionaire following the IPO of SpaceX (SPCX), CNBC reported. Musk's stake in the rocket and satellite communications firm is worth $866.5 billion on paper, CNBC reported, citing the company's prospectus.In corporate news, CrowdStrike (CRWD) reported strong fiscal Q1 results amid accelerating demand for AI, but questions around the company's performance sustainability remain, BofA Securities said. CrowdStrike shares were down 4%.Broadcom (AVGO) shares fell past 11% after it reported fiscal Q2 results late Wednesday. The company's fiscal Q3 AI revenue outlook likely fell short of investor expectations, while Q2 results were slightly ahead of consensus, RBC said in a note.Alphabet (GOOGL) said Thursday Google and Intersect plan to build the Meitner Energy Center, which includes a new data center co-located with more than a gigawatt of wind, solar, and battery storage systems in Gray and Roberts Counties, Texas. Alphabet shares rose 3.7%.Meta Platforms' (META) Instagram is rolling out Instagram Plus globally, a new optional subscription tier offering exclusive features for users who want more control and customization. Separately, Meta is considering charging as much as $200 a month for a premium tier of its planned AI agent product, currently known as Hatch, The Information reported. Meta shares increased 0.2%.