Sector Update: Financial Stocks Rise Friday Afternoon

02:01 PM EDT, 10/24/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Financial stocks were advancing in Friday afternoon trading, with the NYSE Financial Index up 0.9% and the Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF) adding 1.2%.

The Philadelphia Housing Index rose 0.8%, and the Real Estate Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLRE) increased 0.7%.

Bitcoin (BTC-USD) edged up 0.2% to $110,347, and the yield for 10-year US Treasuries was slightly higher at 3.99%.

In economic news, the consumer price index rose 0.3% month-over-month in September, below August's seven-month high of 0.4%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A Bloomberg-polled consensus expected a 0.4% gain. Annually, inflation accelerated to 3% from 2.9% but remained below the 3.1% estimate.

The University of Michigan consumer sentiment index for October was revised down Friday to 53.6 from the 55.0 print in the preliminary estimate, compared with expectations for a smaller downward revision to 54.5 in a survey compiled by Bloomberg.

In corporate news, Brookfield Asset Management (BAM) is in exclusive talks to buy two inactive nuclear reactors in South Carolina from Santee Cooper in a potential multi-billion-dollar deal aimed at meeting burgeoning power demand from AI data centers, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday, citing Santee executives. Brookfield shares rose 1.8%.

JPMorgan Chase (JPM) plans to allow institutional clients to use their bitcoin (BTC-USD) and ether (ETH-USD) holdings as collateral for loans by the end of 2025, Bloomberg reported. JPMorgan (JPM) shares added 2.5%.

Blackstone (BX) is one of multiple private equity firms weighing a potential offer for UnitedHealth's (UNH) Optum UK operation, Sky News reported. Blackstone shares added 0.3%.

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