Tech stocks were higher Wednesday afternoon, with the State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) up 0.1% and the State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) adding 0.8%.
The Philadelphia Semiconductor index climbed 1.1%.
In corporate news, Qualcomm (QCOM) shares rose 1.8% after it said Wednesday that its Snapdragon chips will be used in Samsung's new smartphones, wearables, and intelligent eyewear.
BluEnergies (BLU.V) increased the size of its previously announced non-brokered private placement to up to C$20.70 million from C$10.13 million, citing strong investor demand.The company said Tuesday the offering will consist of up to 9.2 million units priced at C$2.25 each, compared with the previously announced 4.5 million units at the same price.BlueEnergies aims to use the net proceeds for the exploration and advancement of the assets as well as for working capital and general corporate purposes.Shares of the company closed up C$0.17 to C$2.25 on TSX Venture Exchange on Tuesday.
Energy stocks were higher late Tuesday afternoon, with the NYSE Energy Sector Index rising 1% and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) up 0.8%.The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector Index was climbing 1.4%, and the Dow Jones US Utilities Index was fractionally higher.In geopolitical news, President Donald Trump delivered a dim view of possible talks with Iran to end the war, telling reporters Tuesday that the US has "no interest in meeting" until Iran is ready to convene "in a meaningful way," the Associated Press reported.Separately, a desalination facility and power plants caught fire and suffered serious damage in Kuwait after new Iranian strikes targeted the crucial facilities, along with areas of Bahrain and Jordan, following the 10th consecutive night of US bombing, Al Jazeera reported Tuesday.Meanwhile, the Houthi-run SABA news agency said six ships attempting to pass through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the southern Red Sea were forced to reroute on Tuesday after being warned by the rebels, a day after they announced a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia, according to the Associated Press.Front-month West Texas Intermediate crude oil climbed 2% to $84.91 a barrel, and the global benchmark Brent crude contract rose 2.3% to $91.25 a barrel. Henry Hub natural gas futures increased 0.9% to $2.89 per 1 million BTU.In corporate news, Fluor (FLR) said Tuesday it secured a contract from Gulf Petrochemical Industries to carry out the front-end engineering and design for a new aromatics facility in Bahrain. Fluor shares gained 3.6%.Shell (SHEL) resumed operations at a 200,000-barrel-per-day crude oil unit at its Pernis oil refinery in the Netherlands on Monday following a brief disruption, Reuters reported. Shell shares were up 1.1%.Shell, TotalEnergies (TTE) and BP (BP) are in negotiations to supply 15 to 18 cargoes of liquefied natural gas per month to Egypt for at least three years, Reuters reported. TotalEnergies shares climbed 2.9%, and BP added 1.3%Magnolia Oil & Gas (MGY) shares were down 2%. The company said late Monday it priced its underwritten public offering of 46.3 million class A shares at $23.75 per share.
Financial stocks were higher in late Tuesday afternoon trading, with the NYSE Financial Index rising 0.5% and the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) up 0.1%.The Philadelphia Housing Index was down 0.4%, and the State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLRE) eased 0.2%.Bitcoin (BTC-USD) was adding 1.6% to $66,270, and the yield for 10-year US Treasuries rose 3 basis points to 4.628%.In economic news, Redbook US same-store sales rose 7.8% from a year earlier in the week ended July 18 after an 8.2% year-over-year increase in the previous week.The Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank's monthly nonmanufacturing activity index rose to 7.4 in July from minus 25.8 in the previous month, indicating expansion in the sector.In corporate news, Goldman Sachs (GS) has launched a new platform to expand its offerings for wealthy clients and family offices seeking direct stakes in fast-growing private companies, CNBC reported, citing a memo. The new group, called the alternative investments platform, combines Goldman's alternatives business with two new teams, the report said. Goldman shares were up 2.5%.JPMorgan Chase (JPM) and Jefferies Financial (JEF) were among four banks chosen by InMobi to raise about $1 billion as part of an IPO process due to begin later this week, Bloomberg reported. JPMorgan shares rose 1.6%, and Jefferies added 2.6%.Marsh & McLennan (MRSH) shares were up 0.2% after the firm reported higher Q2 adjusted net income and revenue.MSCI (MSCI) shares fell past 10% after it reported Q2 adjusted EPS of $4.94, up from $4.17 a year earlier, but below the FactSet consensus of $4.99.