Healthcare stocks were flat to lower pre-bell Friday, with the iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) inactive and the State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) down 0.4%.
Xenon Pharmaceuticals (XENE) shares were down more than 23% after the company voluntarily paused enrollment of new patients in studies for major depressive disorder and bipolar depression.
Financial stocks were mixed in late Thursday afternoon trading, with the NYSE Financial Index rising 0.4% and the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) fractionally lower.The Philadelphia Housing Index added 0.1%, and the State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLRE) rose 0.3%.Bitcoin (BTC-USD) was increasing 0.5% to $76,515, and the yield for 10-year US Treasuries fell 5.9 basis points to 4.947%.In economic news, in the week ended Sept. 12, 196,000 people filed for unemployment insurance, down 10,000 from the prior week. The consensus was 207,000, according to a Jefferies note. This is the lowest initial claims print since the week ended July 18. The four-week moving average fell to 203,250 from 206,000.In corporate news, Credit Acceptance (CACC) will provide $694 million in cash and debt relief under a settlement with New Jersey and 40 other state attorneys general over allegations of unaffordable auto loans, the New Jersey Attorney General's Office said Thursday. Credit Acceptance shares were down 1.3%.Blackstone (BX) is seeking to arrange a secondary sale for investors in its $57.7 billion Blackstone Property Partners strategy to provide liquidity amid redemption pressure, Bloomberg reported. Blackstone has held discussions with potential buyers and is taking a more formal role in arranging the deals, the report said. Blackstone shares were up 1.4%.Apollo Global Management (APO) is in talks with SoftBank to increase the size of a loan to $9 billion from $5.4 billion to support SoftBank's investment in OpenAI, Bloomberg reported. Separately, Apollo is exploring either a full or partial sale of Energos Infrastructure that could value the floating liquified natural gas infrastructure provider at over $3 billion, Reuters reported. Apollo shares rose 1.5%.UBS (UBS) faces a potential capital requirement of as much as $20 billion as Switzerland's upper house delayed a vote on proposed banking rules to Sept. 23, Bloomberg reported. The draft law would require UBS to back the full value of its foreign subsidiaries with high-quality CET1 capital in Switzerland, the report said. UBS shares were up 0.4%.
Energy stocks advanced late Thursday afternoon, with the NYSE Energy Sector Index up 0.6% and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) adding 0.5%.The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector Index was fractionally lower, and the Dow Jones US Utilities Index increased 0.8%.In geopolitical news, China has privately asked Tehran to help rein in Yemen's Houthis after an appeal to Beijing by Saudi Arabia following the Iran-backed group's military blitz in the past week, three Iranian sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Riyadh turned to China for help after the Houthis made rapid advances along the Red Sea coast and around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, moves that have left Saudi oil exports and shipping more exposed, the sources told the news agency.Front-month West Texas Intermediate crude oil shed 1% to $101.41 a barrel, and the global benchmark Brent crude contract fell 1.5% to $104.22 a barrel. Henry Hub natural gas futures decreased 0.2% to $2.89 per 1 million BTU.US natural gas stocks rose by 44 billion cubic feet in the week ended Sept. 11, a smaller gain than the 48 billion cubic foot increase expected in a survey compiled by Bloomberg and following an increase of 40 billion cubic feet in the previous week.In corporate news, HighPeak Energy (HPK) is considering a potential sale, working with investment bankers from Evercore (EVR) and Texas Capital Bancshares (TCBI) subsidiary Texas Capital Securities, Reuters reported. HighPeak shares jumped past 6%.Hallador Energy (HNRG) shares climbed past 5% after it said Thursday that it closed up to $675 million in debt financing to fund the majority of its Turtle Creek Gas project cost.National Fuel Gas (NFG) said its board plans to conclude an evaluation of a plan to separate the firm into two publicly traded companies by Oct. 15. Its shares were up 0.1%.California Resources (CRC) said Thursday it agreed to sell its Uinta Basin properties to an unnamed purchaser for about $90 million in cash, effective July 1, with closing expected by the end of the year. California Resources shares were steady.
Healthcare stocks rose late Thursday afternoon, with the NYSE Healthcare Index adding 0.8% and the State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) up 0.6%.The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) climbed 2%.In corporate news, Pfizer's (PFE) Canadian operation Pfizer Canada ULC and BioNTech (BNTX) said Thursday that Health Canada has authorized XFG-adapted COMIRNATY COVID-19 vaccine for individuals aged 6 months and older. Pfizer shares added 0.5%, and BioNTech gained 2.8%.Medical Properties Trust (MPT) shares rose 8% in Thursday trading, a day after the company completed the sale of two Idaho hospital properties to affiliates of Intermountain Health for $413 million.Novo Nordisk (NVO) and Orbis Medicines struck an up to $1.4 billion licensing deal for the private company to develop oral drugs for cardiometabolic diseases. Novo will also make a "strategic investment" in Orbis. Separately, Novo said Thursday that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency recommended marketing authorization for Frehemgo or denecimig in the EU to treat haemophilia A, a bleeding disorder. Novo shares rose 3.9%.Nuvation Bio (NUVB) shares gained 5.3% after the company said the US Food and Drug Administration has approved its supplemental new drug application for taletrectinib to treat non-small cell lung cancer.