Wire
Sector Update: Financial Stocks Advance Late Afternoon
Financial stocks were higher late Thursday afternoon, with the NYSE Financial Index rising 1.3% and the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) up 0.5%.The Philadelphia Housing Index climbed 1.6%, and the State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLRE) added 1.5%.Bitcoin (BTC-USD) rose 0.9% to $76,409, and the yield for 10-year US Treasuries decreased 2.8 basis points to 4.39%.In economic news, the core personal consumption expenditures price index, the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation gauge, rose to 3.2% year-on-year in March from 3%, meeting expectations. It climbed 0.3% month-over-month, down from the 0.4% reported in February.US economic growth, measured by gross domestic product, rose by 2.0% in Q1 after a 0.5% gain in Q4, slower than a 2.3% increase expected in a survey compiled by Bloomberg.US initial jobless claims fell to 189,000 in the week ended April 25 from an upwardly revised 215,000 in the previous week, against expectations for a rise to 212,000 in a Bloomberg survey.In corporate news, Citigroup (C) is stepping back from physical trading in industrial metals and has notified a number of staff from the commodities team about potential redundancies, Bloomberg reported. Citi shares were up 0.2%.KKR (KKR) is considering selling the Flora Food Group spreads business, seeking to strike a deal at a valuation of up to $10 billion, the Financial Times reported. KKR shares climbed 4.8%.Mastercard's (MA) Q1 results outpaced Wall Street's estimates, but the company said that the Middle East conflict was impacting spending on cross-border travel. Its shares fell nearly 4%.AvalonBay Communities (AVB) and Equity Residential (EQR) have held discussions over a potential merger, which would be one of the biggest real estate deals ever, Bloomberg reported. AvalonBay shares were down 1.1%, and Equity Residential was fractionally lower.
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